


There's Something Wrong with Richie

by AmeliaDarkholme



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Adrian Mellon Lives, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Angst with a Happy Ending, Eddie Kaspbrak Lives, F/M, Fix-It, Georgie Denbrough Lives, M/M, Stanley Uris Lives, Time Loop, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-11
Updated: 2020-05-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:39:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 44,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23592469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmeliaDarkholme/pseuds/AmeliaDarkholme
Summary: Georgie was the first one to notice it.Stanley liked to think he was the first one to notice.Eddie knew he was the first one to notice.Bill wished he had noticed it first.
Relationships: Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Bill Denbrough & Eddie Kaspbrak & Richie Tozier & Stanley Uris, Bill Denbrough/Stanley Uris, Don Hagarty/Adrian Mellon, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Georgie Denbrough & The Losers Club
Comments: 42
Kudos: 197





	1. Georgie

**Author's Note:**

> *in Bill Hader's creepy-man voice* Hello, hello, hello :P Ah, it's sooo good to be back here again, with a new story. After a week of slaving over mountains of assignments, I can finally write a story again yippie! I almost regret taking my masters degree huehue just kidding XD Anyway, this is another IT story, yes. I know. I have written too many already, but I just can't stop writing about them. But no worries! This story only has 4 chapters, and already half written. So, I should be able to update regularly. Tell me what you think about it, okay. Hope you guys like it :)

Georgie was the first one to notice it.

Ever since Richie saved him from getting mauled by that weird clown monster in the sewer, somehow appearing in the middle of the heavy rain to drag a weak-and-bleeding Georgie away from the clown, the older boy changed. But Georgie never thought much about it. After all, he was delirious with pain as Richie carried him nearly over a mile away to the hospital. The doctor told his family that if Richie had been late for even a minute, Georgie would have died from the blood loss. The young boy remembered seeing his big brother Billy half-asleep by his hospital bed when he woke up, remembered his parents hovering behind Bill with tears rolling down their faces. According to Bill, Richie told them that he was on his way home from the Aladdin when he saw Georgie lying on the road, bleeding profusely from where his right arm was supposed to be. Richie claimed that he didn't see what had happened to cause Georgie's injury, and no one wanted to push him too hard when his father, the renowned Doctor Tozier, came with his wife. And when Richie suddenly fainted into his father's arms, everyone seemed to agree to forget about it. What mattered was Georgie was saved, and Richie himself only suffered a mild case of hypothermia.

For some reason though, Georgie had a feeling that Richie knew _exactly_ what had taken Georgie's arm, and that Richie hadn't been there to save Georgie completely by accident.

But the little boy still said nothing about how he'd noticed that there was something wrong with his brother's best friend. Not even several weeks later, when Georgie had gotten home from physiotheraphy with his parents, and had found Richie passed out on the front porch of the Denbrough's house. It took a while for Georgie's Mum to wake Richie up, and by the time he did, Georgie's Dad had called Richie's parents. When asked what had happened to him, Richie merely looked at the watch around Georgie's Mum's wrist, and then told Georgie to tell Bill to meet him at the Kissing Bridge, before running out of the house. Bill, who was at Stanley's when Georgie called him, later told the younger Denbrough that when he and Stanley met up with Richie, he was already with Eddie, helping out another boy who had a nasty bruise on his face, courtesy of Henry Bowers. The boy's name was Ben Hanscom, and he was new in town. When the five boys went to the pharmacy to get the supplies to fix Ben up, that was when they met Beverly Marsh, someone Georgie knew that Bill had a crush on. It was a blessing that Beverly was there, because Richie fainted again, and it took her sweet-talking Doctor Tozier to not yell at the rest of them when he had to pick his unconscious son up and brought him home.

No matter what the doctors did, they never found out what brought on Richie’s fainting spells. However, they found out that he was losing weight drastically. This came as a shock to everyone because they all knew that Richie was a bottomless pit who ate everything. Richie insisted that he had been eating normally, and his parents had no choice but to relent because they knew firsthand how much their son had been eating. It didn't mean that they stopped worrying though. They decided to keep Richie at home for a week, especially when they noticed how he was paler than his normal parlour, and that his hands felt worryingly cold all the time. That didn't stop Richie from sneaking out. Georgie saw the older boy in his brother's room several days later, coming through the window to join Bill and the rest of their friends. Everyone was worried that Richie had sneaked out, but they knew that sending him back would only make him angry and exhaust him even more, so they let him. Even Georgie knew that Richie was extremely stubborn.

It took another month, after Patrick Hocksetter went missing, when Georgie finally spoke out that something was wrong with Richie. Georgie was tagging along with Bill to come hang out with his friends. Ever since his accident, Georgie would always find himself getting dragged by Bill into one of his adventures with his friends. The younger boy didn't mind it, of course. He liked playing with his big brother. That day, Bill had taken him to the Losers' Clubhouse, which was built by none other than Ben himself. At that point, Georgie was practically an honorary Loser. But that was the first time he was allowed to come into their headquarter. It was all very cool for him, he felt like he was in those spy action movies he'd seen his brother watched with his friends. When Bill got down into the Clubhouse with Georgie hanging on his back, they found everyone was in a somber mood.

Stanley was standing in the corner, an unreadable look on his face when he glanced at Bill. Mike was sitting on the bean bag while Ben took the other one, both of them looking equally glum. Eddie was standing by Beverly's side, a comforting hand on the girl who had a cigarette pressed between her lips, when she normally would immediately throw it away if Georgie was around. Georgie couldn't see Richie, but he figured the older boy was the one lying on the hammock with his back to the entrace of the Clubhouse. Bill took the time to observe his friends, but not before telling Georgie to have a look around. While the younger Denbrough was looking at a pile of comic books, he could hear his brother was talking in his trademark soft tone to his friends.

"W-w-what's wrong?" Bill asked. "Did s-s-something happened?"

There was a slight pause as the rest of the Losers seemed to contemplate their answer. In the end, it was Mike who spoke out. "Have you ever seen something weird, Bill?"

Georgie froze as his mind went back to the clown monster that had bitten his arm off. Slowly, he turned around to get a good look on his brother's face, and found that Bill had gone pale. Georgie could see his big brother's throat bobbed when Bill swallowed heavily, a telltale sign that he was genuinely upset and was trying all his best to keep his stutter at the minimum. The Clubhouse was eerily silent as everyone seemed to wait for Bill to answer Mike. When he finally spoke, the older Denbrough's voice was so faint, it was almost a whisper.

"I saw Georgie," Bill said as his eyes quickly found Georgie's. "B-b-but he said... _You_ said y-y-you were d-d-d-d- _fuck!_ -dead, and it w-was because of m-m-me. B-b-because I l-let you go p-play on your own."

" _Oh, Billy,_ " Georgie said, feeling his heart broke for his brother. He didn't even hesitate and ran to Bill, jumping into his opened arms so Georgie could hug him. "I'm not dead though, Bill. I'm alive, see?"

"But i-i-it's my fault t-that you g-g-got h-hurt. It’s m-my faul that y-y-you lost an arm. If o-only I w-was there with you—“

"You're here now. With me. And I know you’ll _always_ be there for me."

The Losers all let the two brothers hugged it out for some time. Georgie appreciated that. When they finally broke apart, Bill looked at each one of his friends before he settled on Mike, who had asked the question. It took Bill a second to consider, but then he was asking his friend the same question. "What about you, Mike? What have _you_ seen?"

"My parents. Burning," Mike answered curtly, his tone somber. Then, there seemed to be an unexplicit agreement between them all to take turns and reveal what they'd seen.

"I saw the lady in the painting in my father's office," Stanley said next with a clenched jaw.

"I saw a headless mummy," was Ben's answer.

"I saw a leper," Eddie said quietly.

When they all turned their attention to Beverly, it took her a beat to answer.

"I...didn't see anything like you guys did, but my bathroom was covered in blood last night."

" _What?_ " Bill yelped, his eyes widening in horror as he looked closely at Beverly. Georgie did it as well, and only then did he realise how the corners of Beverly's fingers had red stains on them. Bill seemed to notice that too because he then let go of Georgie to approach Beverly. Taking the girl's hand in his, he observed it thoroughly as he said, "How d-did that happen? Are you o-o-okay, Bev?"

The girl gave a smile and nodded. "I'm okay. I mean, I screamed like a little girl for my father of all people when it happened. He couldn't see it, by the way. Merely left me there when he thought I'd fallen asleep in the tub and had a nightmare. But then Richie was there, and he helped me clean everything."

In sync, all of the other five Losers turned to Richie, who had a blank look in his eyes as he stared unseeingly ahead of him. That was when Georgie noticed something was off, and he was sure the rest of the Losers did too. The Richie he knew, the one from before Georgie had lost his arm, was never this quiet. He always had something to say to losen the situation. Like when he was carrying Georgie all the way to the hospital, Richie still had a few funny quips that managed to elicit a giggle or two from Georgie. But now that he looked back to it, even then the younger boy remembered that those jokes were significantly less funnier and more subdued than what he was used too. All around him, the Losers waited for Richie to say something, but after almost a minute of silence, there was no response from the usually chipper boy. They all became worried when Richie still kept quiet when they tried calling for his name. It was as if he was in a trance.

Georgie had no idea why he did it, but seeing Richie unresponsive prompted him to approach the older boy. Everyone knew out of all of Bill's friends, Richie was always Georgie's favourite. They grew even closer since Richie saved him. But the younger Denbrough could still feel the confusion from his brother and his friends as they watched Georgie walked closer toward Richie. He could feel the way they were all watching him, expecting him to do something that would wake Richie up. As if he knew something that they did not. The truth was, Georgie both knew _and_ didn't know what he had to do. He just felt a certain nudge that encouraged him to go to Richie. And that nudge was telling him to hold Richie's hand. Georgie didn't know whether it would work or not, but he figured there was no harm in it. If that would help Richie, he would do it. After all, the older boy did save him from getting eaten by a clown monster.

"Richie?" he said softly as he reached out out for Richie's hand. Georgie tried hard not to flinch when he felt how cold it was. He _did_ jump an inch into the air when Richie jerked violently in the hammock when their hands touched, nearly sending himself onto the ground. But he didn't let their hands go though, Georgie noticed.

"Wha—?" Richie muttered, his eyes blinking furiously from under his glasses. The hold he had around Georgie’s hand tightened a bit the whole time he tried to focus his eyes.

“Are you…are you okay?” Georgie asked, still in that soft tone. When Richie merely stared at him, he continued. “You were… It didn’t seem like you were _really_ here, Rich. You didn’t answer us when we called your name the first time.”

The silence that followed Georgie’s question was heavy and ironically loud, and Georgie felt like he could do nothing but stare at Richie. The lanky boy in question was still staring at Georgie, still with that blank look on his face—although whatever fog that clouded his mind seemed to clear out. It felt like hours had passed before Richie snapped out of the trance-like state he was in, giving Georgie his trademark grin as he reached forward to ruffle the younger boy’s hair. “I’m fine, G-man. I really am. Just a little bit sleepy, is all.”

“Are you sure, Rich?” Eddie asked this time, clearly worried for his best friend. Even for someone his age, Georgie knew that there was something more than friendship between Eddie and Richie. He knew that Eddie cared the most about Richie out of all his friends.

Richie’s answering smile looked a little manic to Georgie when he nodded. “Of course, Eddie. I’m completely fine.”

His answer didn’t seem to satisfy Eddie, judging from the look on his face and the way he opened his mouth to talk again. But then Beverly gave him a discreet nudge, and Eddie shut his mouth. Georgie noticed that every single one of the Losers were watching Richie closely, who seemed to have a problem keeping his eyes opened. All of them looked like they were fighting the urge to ask Richie what was wrong with him, but they knew that Richie hated it when people fussed over him. Then Georgie felt it again. That nudge that told him how to deal with Richie’s strange behaviour. And at that moment, it told Georgie to climb into the hammock and give Richie a hug. He was slightly hesitant about it, knowing from Bill that the only other person Richie allowed into the hammock was Eddie. But that persistent nudge convinced him that Eddie would understand, so Georgie got into the hammock.

The Losers instantly warned him against it, with Eddie being the loudest voice. However, the moment Georgie buried himself into Richie’s chest, wrapping his one-arm around the boy, the change was immediately apparent. Richie’s skin was still colder than what was healthy, but it was warmer than the first time Georgie held his hand. His eyes also seemed to focus more as they settled from Georgie to Eddie to Stanley then to Bill. His pale skin was slowly getting more colour than before, and even though he was still paler than usual, it definitely meant a good thing. The Losers fell quiet then, especially when they noticed the way Richie pulled Georgie closer to him. It was clear to see for everyone that somehow, just by being close to Georgie, it had improved Richie’s condition. He was still worryingly pale, with cold and clammy skin. But that was still a lot better than before.

“Thanks, Georgie,” Richie said softly. “I owe you one.”

Georgie smiled and nodded as a response, but said nothing else because he knew Richie understood. When he turned his attention back to the Losers, he saw how they all looked like they had about a billion questions to ask. But Richie chose that moment to start joking around, even though his jokes still lacked the usual hilarity aspect that was uniquely his. Once or twice, Bill and Mike tried asking Richie about what Beverly had told them, and also about whether Richie had ever seen anything weird himself. But he always answered it with a joke, saying something like Bill’s face being the weirdest thing he’d ever seen. In the end, they all relented and stopped asking him. The topic was never even brought back again, as far as Georgie was aware. Not until the day the Losers all went to the scary Neibolt house.

It was the time when the Losers fought and ‘broke up’. Specifically, Eddie and Bill. It took Georgie bugging Stanley relentessly into telling him when he came to visit, but the older boy finally told him what had happened. He didn’t give any details, merely said that they went to the Neibolt house and Richie got hurt. Terribly. When pressed what exactly had hurt Richie, Stanley only said that Richie was with Bill and Eddie when the rest of the Losers found them, with Richie lying unconscious in Bill and Eddie’s arms, a gaping wound at the back of his head. After the Toziers were called to get Richie and take him to the hospital, that was when Eddie snapped. He yelled and rained punches at Bill, who was too shocked to be able to react accordingly. With tears in his eyes, Eddie even threatened Bill that if Richie’s condition got worse, he would stop being friends with Bill and would never forgive him.

That came off as a surprise for Georgie, because he knew that after Richie, Eddie was the closest with Bill. It was the reason why Georgie and Eddie never really got along. With Eddie being the youngest of Bill’s friends, Georgie always saw him as a threat, as a rival who would take Bill away from him. That led to Georgie latching his affections to the one other person who was the most brotherly after Bill himself, and that was Richie. Georgie didn’t even know that Eddie had staked a claim on Richie, seeeing that all Georgie knew was that Richie was friends first with Stanley before they both joined Bill and Eddie in their first grade. By the time the younger Denbrough knew, it was too late. Dislike had already been formed between them. Georgie would always seek for Richie’s attention as some sort of payback for Eddie stealing Bill from him, and Eddie would try his best to hog all of Bill’s attention whenever Georgie had tagged along with them.

Therefore, a fight between Bill and Eddie was something Georgie never thought would ever happen.

Stanley never told Georgie whether Bill and Eddie ever made up properly or not, because just a couple weeks later, only a few days after Richie was released from the hospital, Georgie heard Bill called Eddie and said that Stanley had been kidnapped. Whatever Eddie said on the phone definitely meant a good thing because Bill immediately left the house right after he hung up, not even bothering to say goodbye to Georgie, who was the only one home. The younger Denbrough was tempted to call his parents and tell them that Bill was going to do something stupid, but for some reason, he knew that his parents wouldn’t be much help. It was the same way he knew what to do to help with Richie that day at the Clubhouse. So, Georgie waited anxiously in his room, once in a while taking a glance at his window in hopes that Bill would be home. It was only five minutes after Bill left when Richie came to the house, his head still wrapped in bandages.

“Hi, Georgie. Has Bill left yet?” Richie asked directly when Georgie opened the door to him. The question would have caught George off guard if he hadn’t been so focused on Richie’s pale skin.

“Yeah. He’s gone to pick Eddie up now,” Georgie said. Without letting Richie to reply, he quickly continued. “Are you even _allowed_ out of the bed yet, Richie?”

The older boy’s lips were tugged into a small, amused grin. “Of course not. But you know that I have to do this, right? Same reason why I was out of the house in that rainy day when I found you.”

Georgie’s eyes widened as he realised what Richie was saying. Gulping heavily, he whispered, “Is it…is it the monster clown?”

_(“Well, I’m Pennywise, the dancing clown!”)_

“Yes,” Richie replied. “The clown is the one who’s taken Stanley. And I don’t mean to sound vain or anything, but I _am_ the only who can stop that fuck— ah, I mean, that monster.”

Despite Richie’s terrifying explanation, Georgie couldn’t help the little giggle that escaped him at the slip of profanity. “It’s okay. You can curse in front of me, Rich. I won’t tell anyone.”

“You’re a good kid, Georgie. There’s a reason you’re my favourite Denbrough,” Richie said, giving Georgie a wink as he ruffled his hair. But it didn’t take long before a serious look took over Richie’s face again, and Georgie decided he _really_ didn’t like that look on the older boy’s face. “I have to go now, G. I have to save the day. But I promise I’ll bring your idiot brother back in one piece.”

“Are _you_ going to be okay, though?” Georgie couldn’t help but to ask, feeling an overwhelming sense of worry for Richie. After all, he’d long considered Richie as a second brother. “Your hands are shaking, Rich. And you’re like, really, _really_ pale.”

“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me. I’ll fix everything. I’ll bring them back in one piece. I promise.”

Georgie supposed Richie did keep his promise. Bill told him that Richie arrived at Neibolt right on time, because Mike needed the help to fight off Bowers. Richie knocked him out with a bottle before both he and Mike joined the others. They got down the well in the house’s basement, which took them all into the town’s sewer system. They found Stanley there, floating in the air with this eyes staring blankly upward. It was not unlike Richie’s trance-like state, according to Bill. The older Denbrough didn’t specify how they woke Stanley up, but his stutter became worse when he continued with how Pennywise appeared right after Stanley was awake. It threatened Bill, saying that It would take Georgie if Bill didn’t sacrifice himself. That was when Richie stepped forward, before Bill could agree to Pennywise’s offer. Richie swung a baseball bat right at the clown’s face, the whole time yelling out insults. The rest of the Losers picked up on his plan pretty quick and followed suit, using their respective weapons to beat Pennywise up.

It managed to escape though, and Bill would have gone after It, if he hadn’t realised the way Richie was swaying dangerously on his feet. Fortunately, Stanley was standing close to him, and kept a firm arm around Richie to prevent him from falling face first onto the ground. It didn’t take Richie long to recover, because then he started to drag Stanley and Eddie out of the sewer, yelling at the rest of the Losers to follow him. He led them all back to the Denbrough household to shower off the dirty sewer water. They’d only been gone for an hour, but for Georgie, who waited restlessly by the window in the living room, it felt like a whole day. He immediately ran out of the house to hug his brother when he saw Bill standing behind Richie, one hand wrapped around a limping Stanley. As he hugged his brother, Georgie heard Eddie insisted on taking Richie to the hospital, which was understandable. But Richie had begged Edddie not to, saying that he only needed to sleep it off a few hours. Eddie only relented after Richie promised him that he’d at least let Eddie checked his bandages.

The Losers stayed at Georgie’s house for the rest of the day, cuddling against each other in Bill’s room, under the blankets they had all gathered. Richie slept for hours, looking the most peaceful anyone had ever seen him with Eddie curled protectively around him. Georgie was allowed to snuggle between Bill and Stanley, the three of them sharing the brownies Bill found in the fridge. The other three Losers occasionally reached for the brownies, muttering their thanks as they slowly started to fall asleep. Georgie never found out how the Losers woke Stanley up from his trance. None of the Losers would tell him, not even Richie who usually would tell him everything. But Georgie wasn’t stupid. He knew something big and important had happened. He could see it in the way Bill and Stanley acted with each other. They seemed to be closer than before, and much clingier too. They kept on glancing at one another, before looking away with a blush on their faces. Judging from the teasing taunts the rest of the Losers kept on giving them, Georgie could guess what had happened.

But his suspicion was only confirmed almost four years later.

He was having his twelfth birthday, and as an honorary Loser, his birthday was celebrated at the Clubhouse. Ever since he lost his arm, Georgie didn’t have that many friends his age. Most of them would steer clear from his way, giving him taunting and pitying stares wherever he went. There was also quite a number of children who would make fun of his arm. That was why he spent most of his time with his big brother and his friends. They were the ones Georgie considered to be his best friend, his _family_ even. So, when his parents asked him whether he wanted to invited anyone to his birthday party, Georgie shook his head and said that he’d rather celebrate it with Bill and his friends. He knew that his parents found it odd that he was so close to children five years older than him, teenagers who were almost adults. But the Denbroughs didn’t think much of it, as long as Georgie was happy.

And Georgie _was_ happy. He knew it would probably be the last birthday he could celebrate with the Losers, because they were all going to college the next year. So, Georgie was making the most of it. In the morning, the Losers took him biking to the Aladdin, where they all then treated him with two movies and all the popcorn he wanted. Then they all had lunch, also on their treat, before they headed to swim in the quarry—much to Eddie’s dismay. The sun was setting by the time they finally headed to the Clubhouse, where Ben and Beverly, who had left first before everyone else, had prepared the cake they baked together. Each of the Losers gave him presents, and they all insisted on Georgie to open theirs first. After all the presents were unwrapped, Georgie was given the honour to get onto the hammock that was usually reserved for only Richie and Eddie. It was simply the best day of Georgie’s life since the whole thing with Pennywise.

He didn’t even realised that he’d fallen asleep in the hammock. All he knew was he was half listening to the conversation the Losers had about their future, and the next thing he knew he’d fallen asleep. He’d woken up only because Richie, who had been gently swinging the hammock with his foot while he sat on the beanbag beside Eddie, accidentally swung his foot too hard. With bleary eyes, Georgie turned to take a look around, and found that the only ones left were Bill and his three oldest friends. Eddie had somehow moved from sitting on his beanbag and onto Richie’s lap, who was looking down fondly at his sleeping best friend. Richie didn’t seem to realise that he’d awaken Georgie, but the younger Denbrough’s attention was already set on someone else anyway. To be precise, he had his attention on Bill and Stanley. Their position mirrored Richie’s and Eddie’s, with Stanley being the one on Bill’s lap. The only difference about them was that they were both awake, with their heads leaned close on one another. Georgie couldn’t help it when he felt his eyes widened into epic proportion when he realised what Bill was doing with Stanley.

They were kissing. Bill and Stanley.

They were _kissing_.

It was clear to Georgie right then and there that what he’d known since he was eight was right. Something big and important _did_ happen to Bill and Stanley, and they had been hiding it for four years. A part of him was hurt that his brother hadn’t told him, that Bill didn’t trust him enough to tell him. But Georgie was older now. He was twelve, and he’d finally realised how _horrible_ Derry and its people were. Even without a literal monster like Pennywise, or a maniac like Bowers, no one in Derry would ever accept the relationship between Bill and Stanley. Georgie knew that even his own father wouldn’t accept it, and no doubt Rabbi Uris’ reaction would be even worse if he’d known. Looking at Richie and Eddie, Georgie knew that the same problem applied to them. While the Toziers might be more accepting, the same couldn’t be said about Sonia Kaspbrak. Georgie might be young, but even he knew that Mrs Kaspbrak should be separated from Eddie, the same way they’d separated Beverly from her horrible father.

So Georgie tried to keep quiet. He never told anyone about what he knew, even though all he wanted was to show his love and support for the four people he cared the most. When he saw Stanley sneaked out of his brother’s room one night, he pretended that he hadn’t seen it. When he saw Bill pressed a kiss to Stanley’s cheek before the other boy left for home, Georgie made sure he had his eyes trained on his feet. When he saw Eddie fussed over Richie’s ever-detoriating health, he said nothing and merely pushed the bag of medications Richie had started to carry around. When he saw Richie stared at Eddie with _so much love,_ it didn’t take Georgie much prompting to look away because it felt like he’d intruded on something so intimate. The younger Denbrough didn’t think the other Losers hadn’t noticed, because surely they did. But for the sake of everyone, he kept his silence.

It was actually Richie who sort of hinted it out to him. It was a week after Bill had received his acceptance letter from NYU. Richie came to the house when Bill wasn’t there, probably off to Stanley’s. Georgie had overheard one of their many phonecalls that Stanley wasn’t completely thrilled about Bill’s acceptance into NYU because Stanley was going to Stanford. He understood that long distance relationship would be hard, and he figured that it was only normal for Stanley to be upset about it. Thus, when his mum came into this room, Georgie was already preparing all sorts of excuses to make for his brother’s whereabouts. They were all soon forgotten when he saw Richie behind his mum, his trademark crooked grin on his pale face. Georgie vaguely heard Richie and his mum talked about something, but he wasn’t listening, too busy wondering why Richie had come when Bill wasn’t home. He only came out of his reverie when he felt Richie sat beside him on his bed, and his mum had closed the door behind her when she left the room.

“Bill’s not here,” Georgie blurted out dumbly. “He’s at Stan’s.”

“I know that,” Richie said. “I’m not here for dear Billy, though. I’m here for you.”

“Oh.” He truly wasn’t expecting that. “Why? Do you… Is something wrong?”

It took Richie a while to answer, and the minute he spent to mull over his words was probably one of the most awkward moments of Georgie’s life. When he finally spoke, his question caught Georgie off his guard. “Do you know that I’ve been accepted into Stanford with Stanley too? And Eddie’s going to NYU with Bill.”

Georgie blinked and slowly shook his head. “I didn’t know that. I though it would be the other way around. You and Eddie, Bill with Stanley. I mean, considering…” He trailed off, giving Richie a small shrug that he hoped had conveyed everything.

That Georgie knew.

That he accepted it.

And that he supported them.

He was glad when he saw the small grin on Richie’s face. That was a rare occurrence these days. Georgie forgot when was the last time Richie last smiled. He barely even talked now, most of his energy seemed to be used to keep himself awake most of the time. Richie’s condition hadn’t exactly detoriated in an alarming rate like it had been when he was thirteen. But he hadn’t exactly recovered into his full health. It was as if he was stuck in a state where he was constantly sick, always weak and feverish and _cold._ Nowadays, even other people who usually would give Richie the stinkeye merely for breathing, was giving him worried looks. People had noticed the lull in the silence that Richie usually filled with his boisterous personality. If he hadn’t known Richie before the whole thing with Pennywise, Georgie would never believe there was a time when Richie was known as the Trashmouth for running his mouth.

“I can’t go with Eddie,” Richie began to explain. “Just like Bill can’t go with Stanley. It _has_ to be this way. I go with Stanley, Bill with Eddie.”

“But why?” Georgie asked. “I know you guys are smart enough to get anywhere you want to. Especially you, Rich. S-sick or not, Bill told me you still have the best grades.”

Richie hummed. “That's true. Unfortunately, the Turtle God won’t let me.”

_(Pain. That was all Georgie could feel. He couldn’t feel anything else but the pain. He couldn’t feel the rain battering his body, couldn’t feel the cold ground underneath him. His whole world had only focused onto the pain he felt from where his arm had been. And he was crying. He was sobbing. Screaming. The scary clown was going to eat him, and he needed to get away. He needed to get back home, to where Billy was waiting for him. Bill would know what to do. He’d keep him save. But oh_ God, _it was all so **p a I n f u l**. Dark spots started to fill his eyes when he vaguely heard a familiar voice yelling out his name. He remembered seeing a small turtle before Richie Tozier came to his rescue and kicked the clown in Its face.)_

“I remember that,” Georgie gasped. “I remember seeing a turtle before you came to rescue me. Oh my…are you saying that the turtle is _God_?”

Richie had the gall to laugh. “Well, not exactly. She’s more of an ancient alien, if anything. And so is our old friend Pennywise. But Maturin—that’s the Turtle’s name—she’s a good alien.”

“How exactly do you know the Turle’s name? And _she_? What the _fuck,_ Richie?”

Not for the first time since the older boy had saved him from the clown, Georgie felt like something was wrong with Richie. It felt stronger this time. And it told him that Richie seemed _different._ It was almost like this wasn’t the same Richie that he’d known since he was a child. As he looked at the boy who was like another brother to him, who had risked his own life to save Georgie, who was looking back at him with a sad smile that was now ever present on his face, Georgie knew that Richie was going to tell him something life changing. He knew that after all these years, Richie would finally give him an explanation. So he waited. He waited with baited breath, eyeing Richie closely as the older boy seemed to struggle with his own words. But Georgie didn’t mind if he had to wait for a whole day. For Richie, he would do anything.

“Promise me,” Richie said, his voice uncharacteristically quiet. “Promise that you will listen to everything I say without interrupting. No matter how weird it is.”

“I promise,” Georgie said. He’d seen enough weird things to last him a lifetime anyway.

And so he listened. He listened to everything Richie said. He listened when Richie said that he was from the future, and that he was sent back in time after he had died alone at the age of seventy eight. _Alone,_ with everyone else having died before him. Georgie listened as Richie told him that in his timeline, no one had saved Georgie from Pennywise, and that ruined Bill for the rest of his life. He listened to a life where _he_ had stopped existing at the young age of eight, a life where things had gone so much worse than he could possibly imagine. The Losers all went on their separate ways, forgetting each other. Mike was left alone in Derry, Ben grew up insecure, Beverly and Eddie went to marry abusive people like their respective parents, Stanley was suicidal, Bill couldn’t get over Georgie’s death, and Richie. _God,_ Georgie felt his heart almost broke literally when Richie recounted his life.

Richie told him how they all went back to Derry in 2016 to kill Pennywise once and for all, except for Stanley who killed himself because he thought by doing so he’d save everyone else. Richie told him how they finally managed to kill Pennywise, but at the cost of Eddie’s life. He told Georgie that after Eddie’s death, Richie gave up on living entirely, and he tried to kill himself by speeding out in his car under alcohol influence. He miraculously survived, albeit all the doctors telling him and everyone else that he _should_ have died, what with all the broken bones he suffered from getting squished inside his car. Richie wished he had, and he was resentful for a long time about the fact that he was alive. Bill was the one who took care of him after he was relased from the hospital, because as the self-proclaimed leader of the Losers Club, Georgie’s brother felt like it was his responsibility. He brought Richie home and took it upon himself to look after Richie. But that only made Richie even more upset, and he swore that he would never forgive any of the Losers for _forcing_ him to live.

It was Audra, Bill’s wife, who finally got Richie to speak again. It took a year of absolute patience and the utmost care anyone could possibly give, but Audra finally got Richie to speak again after he’d stopped speaking. Audra was at home watching some crappy show in her living room room, when Richie came up to her and told her that he’d made her waffles. He quickly left then, and didn’t talk again until two days later, but that was a start. However, it wasn’t until Patty, Stanley’s wife, came into his life that the trademark Tozier spark returned. Patty, who was approached by Bill, felt like she owed it to Stanley to look after Richie. Like Audra, she was so patient with Richie, and so caring. Slowly but surely, about three years after Stanley and Eddie died, Richie healed.

His relationship with the Losers got better as years passed, but it hadn’t really recovered. He would only talk to Patty and Audra, even though he lived with Bill and the rest of the Losers lived nearby. None of them talked about it though, because as long Richie didn’t shut himself away from the world, they were happy with it. Encouraged by Audra and Patty, Richie started to write a screenplay based on his life. With Patty acting as his manager and Audra as his agent, he managed to get his screenplay approved by a famous film studio. He then shyly asked Bill, who was also a screenwriter, to edit his work. That was the point in their life when things seemed to get better for real. Long story short, the film was made, and it won many Oscars—including Best Original Screenplay for Richie _and_ Bill.

Life was starting to turn out really well for everyone. The Losers were finally talking again, Patty and Mike got together, Ben and Beverly got married, and Audra was pregnant. Richie and Bill kept on writing more screenplays together, and soon they were hailed as the best screenwriters of the decade. They wrote almost two hundred screenplays together, and twenty of them were made into a movie. They were at the Oscars, had just gotten down the stage for winning another Oscar for their latest work, when they got a call that Audra was in labour. It was two months too early. Both men didn’t even waste a single second and rush to the hospital where Audra was. Patty and Mike were already there, seeing that they were with Audra and were the ones who brought her to the hospital. It was only an hour later when Ben and Beverly came, and together they all waited. Praying for the best.

God was probably asleep though, because Audra died that night.

Richie told Georgie that if the doctor hadn’t told him that his daughter had made it, Bill would have killed himself and joined Audra.

The roles were reverse now, and it was up to Richie to take care of Bill. It was Richie’s turn to take it upon himself to look after Bill _and_ little Georgia—who had Audra’s green eyes but looked like a tiny, female Bill. Richie refused to receive any help from any of the Losers because he knew it was his responsibility. He owed it not only to Audra, but to Stanley and to Eddie and to Georgie. Audra, who had taken care of Richie even though he was nobody to her when they first met. Stanley, who Richie knew was the true love of Bill’s life the same way Eddie was for him. Eddie, who would be so disappointed in Richie for wasting his life. And Georgie, who really deserved more than being eaten by Pennywise. It took two years, longer than anyone would have liked, but Richie managed to help Bill recover. Richie didn’t want to take all the credit though. He made sure to tell Georgie that his _niece,_ sweet little Georgia, helped a great deal.

Georgia had just turned three when Bill told Richie that he would like him to be Georgia’s legal _parent._ Richie couldn’t believe what he’d heard at first, and had asked Bill to repeat it at least twice, thinking that he had misheard him. But Richie heard it right the first time. Bill had asked him to adopt Georgia so they could be her parents— _together._ For Richie, that was when he knew everything was finally right again between him and Bill. With Georgia in their life, the two of them slowly recovered. They raised the little girl together, ignoring even their friends’ comments and questions. When the whole world found out about it, it made people speculate the truth about their relationship. But again, they ignored it. What mattered to both of them was Georgia, and that was it. They watched Georgia grew up from a little girl into a woman. They watched her following her late mother’s footsteps and became an actress. Richie thought that life was finally giving him a break. That he could finally be happy.

But he forgot that he was getting old. And that his friends—his _family_ was getting old too. One by one, the Losers started to die from old age. It began with Mike, then Beverly, and Ben, and lastly it was Patty. They were marrying off Georgia to her long-time boyfriend when Richie asked Bill to _please_ let Richie die first. He made Bill swore because Richie couldn’t take it. He couldn’t bare the thought of being the last one left behind. But even though Bill swore with his whole heart, fate wanted it different. Bill died in a plane crash a few years later, on his way home after he’d visited Georgia. Richie, who was sick, had begged Bill to take him anyway. But Bill was worried that Richie would get even sicker. Richie blamed himself endlessly as he watched Bill’s coffin got lowered into the ground. And just several weeks later, Richie followed him.

Whatever Richie thought Death would be for him, he didn’t think that he’d see a giant turtle to be first thing that greeted him. It was Maturin, the alien turtle who was Pennywise’s nemesis. Maturin told Richie that she’d been watching him and the Losers since their first encounter with Pennywise. When Richie asked her why hadn’t she helped them, she never answered him. Instead, she offered him a chance to go back in time and fix everything. To go back as far as the day when Georgie was killed by Pennywise. There was a catch though. Richie wasn’t allowed to get involved too much if he wanted to save everyone. If he failed, he would be sent back again to the Day—when Georgie was killed by Pennywise because that was when everything was set in motion. However, every time Richie went back, a fraction of his life-force was taken away. It was the reason why Richie was sick. He’d been stuck in a Loop for so long, Resetting so very often, that it was affecting his health.

His _life._

"And how long have you been doing this?" Georgie asked, voice a little hoarse from the tears he hadn’t realised had fallen.

"I'm not sure, buddy. I lost count after my twentieth Reset,” Richie said, and for the first time ever, Georgie noticed how _old_ he was. Richie might look like he was eighteen, but Georgie could see that he was older. _Much_ older.

“It must have been so long then,” Georgie concluded quietly as a new wave of tears started to fall again. “If you can no longer tell.”

Richie flashed him a small smile. “I suppose you’re right. You see, sometimes it could take years before I fucked something up and got sent back to the beginning. To that day when Pennywise attacked you. Makes it hard to really keep count. It could have been a century for all I know."

"Have you… Have you ever told me before?”

"I...I think so. If I'm not mistaken, this is the fourth time. Or maybe fifth?"

Georgie could only imagine how _lonely_ Richie’s life had been.

"That's horrible,” the younger Denbrough whispered, reaching forward to hold Richie’s hand. “I really don't know how you could do it twice, let alone as many times as you did."

Richie shrugged. "Well, for me, the alternative was much more terrifying. And I'd lived through that, remember, so I know what I'm talking about. Although, I don't think I can do it anymore."

"Yeah, I understand. I mean, not literally. But I can tell how emotionally draining—“

"Georgie,” Richie cut him off, and his serious tone shut Georgie up in an instant.

“Yeah?” he said, feeling his heart beat faster in trepidation. He could tell that whatever Richie was going to say, it would be horrible.

“I physically cannot do this anymore,” Richie said, confirming Georgie’s suspicion. “My body and soul cannot take another Reset. If I fuck up one more time, then that's it. It’s over.”

“But what would happen to you then?” Georgie asked, although he had a feeling that he wouldn’t like Richie’s answer.

However, the older boy didn’t answer him and changed the topic entirely. “That’s why I’m here, kid. I need your help.”

Georgie blinked. He truly wasn’t expecting that.

“My help?” he said slowly.

“Yes. I need you to keep an eye out on Bill and Eddie. I can’t say much, lest I’ll accidentally Reset again, but I want you to make sure that they will _never_ forget who they are. No matter where they are, no matter what happens.”

“What do you mean? Of course they will remember something as simple as that.”

“No, they won’t. I have seen this before. Everyone who leaves forgets. They _always_ do. Except for us. You’ll see, Georgie.”

“Wait, _what_?”

But Bill had come home then, looking incredibly upset as he barged into Georgie’s room, and Richie clammed up. If Georgie’s brother found it weird that Richie was there, he said nothing about it. He didn’t even seem to realise Richie was there until his friend excused himself. Even then, Bill merely gave Richie a quick nod of his head before he started to mope about the fight he had with Stanley, his stutter returning _._ Georgie barely listened to anything Bill said, his mind was still going over Richie’s request. He had planned to come see Richie the next day, to ask for more explanation. But somehow, Richie was never home that summer. He was always away, either spending his last days with Eddie before going to university, or having to do something that his parents asked him to. Before Georgie knew it, the Losers had all started to leave Derry one by one.

Beverly was the first one to leave, moving permanently to Portland with her aunt. Then it was Ben, who looked eager to leave once Beverly had left. Then it was Bill and Eddie, both of them leaving in the middle of the night so Sonia Kaspbrak couldn’t stop them. Lastly, it was Richie and Stanley, who left just a week after Bill and Eddie did. The only one who never left was Mike, and Georgie made sure to visit him once in a while because in a way, they were each other’s only friend. At first, Georgie didn’t realise anything was amiss about the rest of the Losers moving out from Derry. For him, nothing had changed. He didn’t think much about it because Bill and Richie still called home every once in a while. He even almost forgot about Richie’s request, seeing that nothing monumentally different had happened. At least, not that he knew of or had noticed.

Georgie only found out what Richie had meant in his request when the younger Denbrough casually mentioned Stanley to his brother, who asked the question that forever changed his life.

_“Who’s Stanley?”_


	2. Stanley

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My God, but this chapter is soooo long. I originally only meant it to be about 8k words. But the mini-Stanny I have in my head just wouldn't let me stop writing about him. So yeah, this huge chapter is the result. I hope it's worth the wait, and the tiresome length. Next chapter will be Eddie's, and that's when the fun truly begins ;) Oh, one more thing. I kind of picture Ben Hardy as adult Georgie. He has the same kind of lips and nose as James McAvoy, and similar soft features. But feel free to picture whoever you want :)

Stanley liked to think he was the first one to notice.

Richie was his oldest friend. He was Stanley’s _only_ friend, who had followed him all the way to Stanford for college after they finished high school. While Stanley didn't remember much about their childhood after they left Derry, he did notice that something about his oldest friend had changed greatly throughout the years they lived together.

He probably had had noticed it sometime during their childhood, but once they'd left Derry, Stanley only realised it the month after they'd properly adapted to their new surrounding. Stanley had gone into accounting while Richie took literature and theatre. Thanks to Wentworth Tozier’s generosity, Richie and Stanley lived in a small but rather quaint house during their university years instead of rooming in a dorm. Stanley, and his parents, originally had refused to accept the Toziers’ money. But Richie had practically begged Stanley to come live with him instead, and no one could ever say no to Richie’s puppy dog eyes and childish pout. So, Stanley had accepted it, and that marked the beginning of their codependency.

As years passed, Stanley was grateful that he’d agreed to live with Richie. Not only he couldn’t imagine the living condition he would have to deal with if he were to live in a dorm, he had this weird feeling that if Richie hadn’t lived with him, Stanley would lose his way. He had known for a while that he wasn’t the healthiest mentally, not when he had such a strict father and an unreliable mother. But for some reason, having Richie with him for almost every second of his life made him feel less adrift. Even when Stanley was going through his darkest days, as long as he had Richie with him in the room, he knew he would be alright. Richie would look after him. But, at the same time, he knew that he could look after Richie. He was sure that was why Wentworth and Maggie had offered to pay for Stanley’s living conditions. They wanted Stanley to look after their sick son.

His childhood memories were a bit blurry to him, but Stanley could distinctly remember a time when Richie was more… _alive._ A time when Richie would make obnoxious jokes relentlessly, would make fun of everything and everyone. A time when Richie didn’t resemble a living corpse and actually had some colour to his skin. Somehow, though, Richie’s condition seemed to get better throughout college. It was as if California’s fresh air was the solution to his sickness. There were still the occasional fainting spells, but Maggie told Stanley that it was nowhere as often as it was in Derry. No doctors could ever explain what exactly was wrong with Richie, but no one seemed to mind anyway. As long as Richie was getting better, they would accept anything. Being one of the smartest people Stanley had ever known, it didn’t come as a surprise to him when Richie managed to score leading roles in indie movies, publish a book _and_ keep his grades up. Even if he didn’t really remember their childhood, he could still remember how frustratingly _brilliant_ Richie was. Stanley admired that about Richie, and it encouraged him to do just as well. He had a feeling that was how it had always been between the two of them.

Before he knew it, both he and Richie had graduated with an almost perfect GPA. Richie was already an A-list actor by then, although Stanley only realised it when Richie had them both moved into a bigger house. Stanley only agreed when Richie promised to let him pay his half once he’d gotten his paycheck. And he had a _really_ good paycheck, for a fresh-graduate. He figured that graduating top of his class had it perks after all, and being offered to work at a successful firm was one of it. The firm was where he met Patty Blum. She was a petite blonde with blue eyes darker than Richie’s light ones. She wasn’t breath-takingly beautiful like the actresses and models Richie hung out with, but for Stanley, her personality made her one of the most beautiful people he’d known. The first time they met, they didn’t talk because Stanley could only stare at how she coolly but politely told off a sexist colleague who had made a mistake of saying how a woman like Patty wouldn’t get far in the business. Needless to say, Stanley found her captivating.

Stanley didn’t even really talk to her until the fourth time they met, and that was only because Richie was with him when he’d run into her somehow when he was buying groceries. It was one of those rare days when Richie wasn’t jetting out all over the world to shoot his movies, and he’d asked Stanley to take him buy groceries because he wanted to feel somewhat normal. They were bickering in the fruit aisle, like they always did because apparently being twenty-five and successful didn’t stop Richie from being a complete nuisance, when Stanley saw Patty. She was reprimanding a teenager girl who was staring blatantly at Richie despite the broken eggs she had dropped. It wasn’t difficult to figure out what had happened, and Stanley was reminded once again that his best friend was probably one of the most popular celebrities right then. Richie finally noticed that Stanley had his attention on someone else, and he turned around toward Patty and the teenager. It didn’t take Richie long to come to the same conclusion as Stanley’s.

“Hello,” Richie said kindly, giving his trademarked grin. He nodded at the broken eggs and said, “I can pay them for you, you know. Consider it as an apology for making you starstruck enough that you dropped the eggs.”

“Oh, no, no, no,” Patty quickly said. “You don’t have to do that, Mr Tozier. I’m more than capable to take care of my niece’s mistake. Really, it’s not a problem.”

“You sure? I really don’t mind. I promise.”

“Yes, I’m sure. Don’t worry about us. You can go continue your shopping with your…um, with Stanley.”

“You _know_ Stanny?” Richie exclaimed at the same time Stanley said, “you know my name?”

“Well, yes,” Patty said, and Stanley noticed the faint blush on her face. “Stanley and I work together, Mr Tozier. And I _do_ know you, Stanley. You’re the boss’ favourite.”

“Stan here has always been a bootlicker, I know,” Richie said with smirk that Stanley really wanted to wipe off his face. Literally. “And please. Call me Richie. Any friend of Stanley’s is a friend of mine, and all of my friends call me Richie.”

"You don't have friends, Richie," Stanley drawled out, earning a mock-gasp from Richie.

" _You're_ my friend, Stanny."

"Unfortunately."

"Your cruel words always get me going."

"What an honour."

"It _is_ an honour! I'm very famous, remember."

"Your many creepy stalkers never fail to remind me."

“My fans are not creepy, you envious fu—“

"Are you guys together?" Patty's niece blurted out, effectively interrupting Richie into silence.

"Alana!" Patty hissed out, flashing Stanley and Richie an apologetic smile as she glared at the teenager. "That is so inappropriate. Where are your manners, you little monster? Oh God, I'm terribly sorry, Stan, R-Richie."

Stanley was the first one to snap out of the shock, giving Patty a small smile even if he couldn’t help the slight grimace that escaped him. "It's fine. Don't worry about it. Although, Richie and I aren't together. We're best friends."

"Like Cary Grant and Randolph Scott?" the girl, Alana, continued.

_"Alana!"_

"What? No!" Richie said, laughing. "No, no, we really are best friends. Stanley is much too classy to go out with a tramp like me. He's like my brother."

"Yeah, even though it's a huge sacrifice to be his self-proclaimed brother," Stanley added.

"Shut up, Stan. I'm four months older than you. I demand some respect."

"Huh. But don't you two live together?" Alana asked again, ignoring Patty’s reprimanding glare. "I read it on Lifestyle."

Stanley knew which issue of the magazine she was talking about. It was the one that came not long after Richie came out to the public as bisexual. Although they never talked about it, Stanley had known that his best friend wasn't straight. Richie wasn't exactly subtle about it, not when he often brought boys home. He never really came out to Stanley either, merely said that he might bring girls _and_ boys home when they were setting ground rules regarding their living arrangement. Stanley didn't mind whether Richie was straight or gay or bisexual. But his admission sparked something in Stanley, a memory of a faceless boy with auburn hair and dark blue eyes. He didn't really remember the boy's face, but Stanley knew he had meant _a lot_ to him. So when Richie's career started to take off, and he told Stanley that he wanted to come out to the public, Stanley blurted out that he too was bisexual. He knew there was no reason for him to be nervous, after all it was Richie that he was talking to. But when his best friend gave him a smile and told him that they'd go through it together, Stanley felt like a huge burden was lifted off him. Everything would change for him, and things would be difficult, he knew that. At least he had Richie to help him.

But then that article came out, the one that said Stanley was the Jimmy Shields to Richie's William Haines. To make things worse, his parents saw the article. While Stanley was lucky that his identity wasn’t revealed, or else his co-workers would never take him seriously, his parents could still tell it was him that was photographed coming out of a bar with Richie. Stanley could still remember the exact words his father had yelled out at him, which only prompted him to snap and say the last thing he should have said to his _very_ conservative parents—that he, Stanley, was bisexual too, and that they would just have to deal with it or just disown him. His father hung up on him then, and just a few days later, his mum called him, saying that Stanley better not contacted them until his father calmed down a little bit. That was three years ago. His parents had never called him ever since. It broke his heart to know that his parents would do such a thing to him, but he had kind of expected that. If his parents would truly disown him, Stanley was fine with that. He wasn’t alone. He had the Toziers, who had practically adopted him upon finding out the fight he had with his parents.

“We do live together, but Stan’s like my live-in accountant,” Richie explained to Alana. “And also my personal own butler. He takes care of me and my money.”

“One of these days, I’m going to charge you,” Stanley said.

Richie shrugged. “You probably should. Hell, you _really_ should. Perhaps then your boss can see that you’re a kickass accountant and promote you. We’ll talk more about this at home.”

“If you’re serious about this—“

“I am. So, let’s say goodbye to this beautiful lady and her charming niece.”

Stanley had sort of forgotten that Patty was still there, and it was his turn to give her an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry about that. I’m his full time babysitter, so I have no choice but to do what he says. Lest he throws a tantrum.”

“I’m right here, Stan Urine,” Richie said, rolling his eyes.

Patty let out a small laugh, which made her look even prettier. “It’s fine, really. And it’s nice to meet you, Richie. I see now why my niece loves you so much.”

“You’re too kind,” Richie said with a smile, winking at Alana who blushed furiously.

“Come on, Al, let’s go,” Patty said to her niece. “See you tomorrow at the office, Stan.”

“Yes, of course. See you, Patty.”

“Aw, you’re in love with her already,” Richie cooed once Patty and Alana were out of sight.

“Beep beep, Richie.”

A strange look crossed the actor’s face, but he said nothing. Swinging an arm around Stanley, they both took their groceries to the cashier to pay. Stanley would have asked whether he'd said something wrong, asked why Richie had responded that way to the phrase. But by the time they got home, they were discussing about Stanley becoming Richie’s accountant for real, and the question was forgotten. Soon, he became too busy with work because, like Richie had predicted, once Stanley had established himself as Richie’s accountant, things seemed to smooth out all on their own. Then there was also the fact that Patty had become really close to him, always taking time to talk to him between breaks. It was a month after they met at the grocery store when Stanley plucked up the courage and asked Patty out on a date. They hit it off really well and started to date since then. Everything was going really great for Stanley, and so, _so fast_. Before he knew it, he had turned twenty seven, and he had been dating Patty for two years. He was at the top of his career, making more money than he knew what to do with it. The same went for Richie, who won his first Oscar that year and was already entertaining the idea to direct his own movie for the first time.

Unfortunately, that was also the time when Richie started to get sick again.

Stanley didn't notice it at first, too busy with his own life. He wasn't even there to see Richie relapsed for the first time. Stanley had moved out to live with Patty then, although their new place was still very close to Richie's. Then there was also the whole thing with Patty quitting work to become Richie's manager. Richie had asked it jokingly when Patty kept on nagging him about getting a manager to replace the one that quit after Richie came out. Both Richie and Stanley weren't expecting Patty to say that she'd consider it for real. Stanley wasn't keen on it initially, thinking that Patty was wasting her talents to do something as mediocre as working for Richie. But Patty argued, saying that even if their boss wasn't sexist, she would never make the kind of money Richie offered her. Stanley finally relented, especially when he saw how Patty genuinely enjoyed her work. He was immensely grateful that Patty had taken Richie's offer because if she hadn't, Stanley couldn't imagine what would have happened to his best friend if Patty wasn't there when Richie first fainted again, right when he was in the middle of driving his fancy sports car to the set of his latest movie.

It was miraculous that not only Patty was quick enough to push Richie’s foot off the gas pedal while she pulled the hand brake, they also hadn’t hit anyone when the car twisted to a stop. Stanley received Patty’s frantic call right when he was just done with a meeting, and it felt like his heart had stopped from the shock. He truly thought that things were getting better, that Richie had somehow gotten over the sickness he had suffered in his childhood. Stanley had only told his assistant that he had some family matters to attend to before he rushed to the hospital where the ambulance Patty called had brought Richie to. He found his shocked girlfriend sitting in a chair just outside of the ICU once he arrived at the hospital, and he immediately took a seat beside her and held her. Pale-faced and teary-eyed, Patty told him that Richie seemed to be doing alright when she came to his house, although she did notice the bags under his eyes. But because Richie insisted that he was alright, that it was only because he couldn’t sleep the previous night, Patty shrugged it aside. They were only in the car for five minutes when Richie whispered Patty’s name before he lost his consciousness.

Patty’s story was cut short when a doctor finally came to see them. Stanley couldn’t help but to think of the worst when he saw the grim look on the doctor’s face. He was ready to hear it. After all, there was a time when Stanley and Richie’s parents had thought that Richie wouldn’t live long. But the doctor didn’t say that Richie had died or suffering from cancer. Instead, he said that while Richie didn’t have any kind of terminal diseases, the actor was _definitely_ sick. For some reason, Richie’s temperature had dropped worrying low, and so did his blood pressure and heart-rate. Beside him, he could see the horror in Patty’s eyes as another wave of tears fell down her face. As Patty started to ask the doctor questions, Stanley began to tune out. He could only think about how Richie’s parents were going to react to this news. They had been so hopeful, believing that Richie would finally outlive them. Stanley didn’t feel like he could tell Wentworth and Maggie about it. Not when the both of them were planning to visit their only son, expecting to see the vibrant and lively Richie they hadn’t seen in five years since Richie’s career took off and he became a little too busy to visit his parents. The accountant was too deep in his own thoughts, he didn’t realise that Patty was trying to get his attention. The doctor had asked him a question.

“I’m sorry,” Stanley said quickly with a sheepish smile. “What did you say, doc?”

“Has something like this ever happened to Mr Tozier before?” the doctor repeated his question patiently.

“Uh, yes,” Stanley said. “Back when we were kids, when we still lived in Maine, this used to happen pretty often. But then we moved out here and it gradually stopped. Richie’s parents and I thought that it was something back there that made Richie sick. But, obviously as we all can see, we were wrong.”

“How often did it happen when back then?” the doctor asked again.

Stanley couldn’t help but to frown. “I don’t… I’m not sure. I don’t remember, really.”

He was grateful that the doctor didn't notice that he'd meant he didn't remember his childhood.

"Alright, that's fine," the doctor said, giving Stanley an understanding smile. "Mr Tozier was briefly awake before I came here. He said that this recent relapse has been happening for at least six months. And he told me to contact George Denbrough for details on his medical records. Do you have his number, Mr Uris?"

There was a beat of silence as a bright yellow rain-jacket flashed in Stanley's mind before he said,

_"George who?"_

Long story short, after going through Richie's phone for the contact, two days after Richie was brought to the hospital, and on the day the actor was about to be released, George Denbrough came barging in to see Richie. While the man was talking to a doctor about Richie, Stanley took the chance to observe him. George was around Stanley's height, and he was built similarly like Stanley. He had light blond hair that fit perfectly with his pale skin, and a pair of the lightest green eyes that Stanley could see from where he was. The man—no, the _boy_ because there was no way George was older than twenty years old—had relatively feminine features that made him look even younger. Good looks aside, what caught Stanley's attention, and no doubt everyone else's in the room, was his right arm. Or rather, the lack of it. If the boy noticed the way everyone was trying hard not to stare, he did a great job ignoring it. Then again, the moment his eyes landed on Richie, who was sitting weakly on his wheelchair, George seemed to notice nothing else. He practically ran all the way toward Richie to hug him. If Stanley didn't know that Richie's taste was more of a tiny, slender brunet instead of this muscly blond, he'd have thought that this was Richie's secret boyfriend. There was this unique kind of intimacy that Stanley had only ever seen between himself and Richie. It made him a little wary of this young blond. Sue him but he was protective of Richie. He was practically Stanley's brother after all.

"Are you okay, Rich?" George asked as he ran his hands all over Richie. "I flew in as soon as I could after I got the phone call. _Goodness_ , what were you thinking? _You could have died!_ "

"Jesus, kid, not even a hello?" Richie said dryly, although there was an amused smile on his face. "I'm fine. Really. Nothing that we haven't ever dealt with, remember?"

"That’s the point—“

"How's your brother? What have you been up to yourself, G? Heard you hooked up with a model."

Stanley couldn't see the look on George's face, but he had a feeling that he was looking at Richie in exasperation. But Richie was stubborn as always, leaving George with no choice but to relent. With a sigh, the blond answered Richie. "Bill's doing great. He just had his fourth book published, and he's getting married next year to his long-time girlfriend. You know her, I believe. It's Audra Phillips. She had a supporting role in one of your movies."

"Oh yeah, I remember her. I think she played my sister in one of my earlier movies."

"Yep, that's right. And I'm doing just fine. I finally got my PhD, and I'm gonna start teaching my new classes next month."

"That's good. Where is it gonna be? Is your girlfriend coming?"

"Florida Institue of Technology. And yeah. Laura's coming. Her brother hates me for it. Adrian keeps on giving me the stinkeye."

"As if you wouldn't do the same to Audra if she'd forced Billiam to move to LA."

"She did, actually. But Bill doesn't want to leave Eddie. He just broke out of an engagement, by the way. So things have been quite tough on him. His ex was like a reincarnation of Sonia. Luckily, I was persuassive enough to convince Eddie to break it off."

Stanley pretended that he didn't see the way Richie straightened in his seat, a faint gleeful look on his face as he took a moment to reply.

"Is that so?" Richie said slowly, voice a little strained. "How did you do it? I don't recall you two to be that close."

George shrugged. "It wasn't easy. We had a huge fight about it. He threw a fucking _plate_ at me. So I had to resort to play dirty ‘cause he gave me no choice. I brought all his old medications that Sonia used to give him, and I made all the comparisons between Myra—that’s his ex, by the way—and his mum. Easy to say, Eddie ended everything the very next day."

There was a small smile on Richie’s face as he shook his head fondly. "Spaghetti has always been a bit compulsive. But I guess this time that's a good thing."

"It was, yeah,” Georgie agreed, nodding his head. “He's doing well himself, you know. Quite the succesful pharmacist. Works at one of New York’s most successful pharmeceutical companies. You should be proud of him."

Richie hummed softly as a respond before he finally noticed that Stanley and Patty were there. Nudging George to turn around in Stanley and Patty’s direction, Richie said, "Sorry for ignoring you guys a little bit. It's been a while since I saw little G here. Meet George Denbrough, by the way. He's like the little brother I never have. And Georgie, meet my best bud Stanley Uris, and his better half Patty Blum. Patty is also my manager, and the woman who saved my life. So I owe her a lot."

"Hello," the blond greeted, a little shy. "I don't go by Georgie anymore these days, so you can call me George. Only Richie and my brother call me that."

"Hi, George," Patty said with a smile, taking the young man's offered hand. "It's nice to meet you. How did you get to know Richie, by the way? You two seem very close."

"Oh, Richie and I go way back. I've known him since I was born. He's one of my brother's oldest friend, back when they were..."

Stanley stopped listening then because he had an onslaught of memory came into his mind. He could see a boy with dark-blue eyes and auburn hair, could even hear the boy’s gentle and firm voice despite his stutter. There were snippets of Stanley and the boy throughout his childhood. Stanley and the boy riding their bikes all over Derry. Stanley and the boy teaching baseball to a little blond who looked a lot like _Georgie_. Stanley and the boy going into a sewer, and there were two others boys with him. One of them was Richie. The fourth, unnamed boy was bickering with Richie while Stanley shared an amused look with the auburn-haired boy. Stanley getting kidnapped by a monstrous clown, who put him in a trance. Stanley waking up to the boy giving him a gentle kiss. Stanley being comforted by the boy when he woke up from a terrifying nightmare. Stanley and the boy talking in hushed tones about Richie's health. Stanley yelling at the boy for leaving him. Stanley watching the boy left him, as he felt Richie wrapped a consoling arm around him.

" _Georgie..._ " Stanley breathed out, catching everyone's attention. He felt his heart beat quickened as his breathing went laboured, his eyes zeroed in on the man who was only a little boy the last time Stanley had seen him. "You're Big Bill's little brother. Georgie. Georgie Denbrough."

The blond shared a look with Richie, who gave him a small nod. Slowly, with a tone as gentle as the one his brother always used, he said, "Yes, that's me. How much...how much do you remember?"

Stanley tilted his head to the side as he tried to remember more. "Not much. I mean... I think, there were four of us? Billy, Richie, myself, and..."

_("Cute, cute, cute!")_

_("Shut up, Richie!")_

_("Oh, Eds, my love, you hurt me so.")_

_("You're so full of shit, Chee.")_

Eddie Kaspbrak. The neurotic, little spitfire whom Richie followed around like a lovesick puppy. The tiny, feisty brunet who spoke about a mile a minute; who would throw a fit if Richie’s attention wasn’t on him even if it was only for a second.

A lot of things started to make sense to Stanley.

"You have a lot of explaining to do, Rich," Stanley said as he finally looked at his best friend. For his part, Richie had the decency to look guilty, even though Stanley didn't really know the reason why.

"I'll explain everything once we get home," Richie promised.

"Alright. I'll hold you onto—“

"Wait, wait, wait," Patty interrupted, and Stanley was suddenly reminded of her presence. "Which home are we talking about?"

"Mine," Richie and Stanley said in unison.

Stanley didn’t even hesitate when he glared at his best friend. “Don’t be ridiculous, Rich. If you’re as sick as you were before, there’s no way I’m letting you live all on your own. _No,_ you’re coming home with me, and that’s final.”

Richie looked like he was about to argue, judging from his clenched jaw and narrowing eyes. But when Georgie gave him a stern glare, the actor relented. Stanley was caught a little off guard when Richie suddenly turned to look at Patty. “Do you mind if I come live with you and your boyfriend? I would totally be fine if you say no. You only live two blocks away from me anyway. I’ll be alright.”

Stanley immediately felt guilty. He forgot that his house wasn’t only his, that it was Patty’s too. The only thing he had in his mind was that he had to take care of Richie because that was how it had _always_ been between them. They took care of each other. Stanley was ready to hear Patty’s rejection, which he would understand perfectly. Much to his utmost surprise, Patty gave an understanding smile and shook her head. “Why would I mind, Rich? We’re _family,_ remember? To be honest, I think I’ll feel better if you live with us. You’re not only my client, you know. You’re my friend too. I care about you.”

“You really are a saint, darling,” Richie said with a smile, throwing an exaggerated wink that earned him a giggle from Patty.

And it didn't take them long before they returned to their old routine. Even when Georgie was still staying over, when the three of them discussed their past, it didn't feel like Stanley had been living with Patty for the past two years. Stanley would come into Richie's room every morning, where he would find his best friend already snuggled against Georgie, who looked adorable in a way no twenty-five year old should be able to pull off. Richie would greet Stanley with a beaming smile, patting the empty spot on his other side, and then they would start talking until Patty called them for lunch. If Stanley had to go to work, that would be their night time routine after dinner. The three of them talked about everything; Stanley would ask them questions, and Richie and Georgie would fill in on him. Slowly but surely, with Richie and Georgie's help, the gaps in Stanley's mind started to fill, and he began to remember his childhood.

He remembered how he was friends first with Richie, going back as far as their toddlers years. Stanley remembered how he was _always_ Richie’s best friend. Everyone and their mother knew that. The obnoxious Catholic kid and his precocious Jewish friend. They should make an odd pair—they _were_ an odd pair. But in their odd way, they made sense. Their friendship made sense. According to Maggie Tozier and Andrea Uris, their sons became friends on the first day of kindergarten, after Richie stood up for Stanley and punched the boy who made fun of Stanley’s religion and called him a stupid kike. Stanley’s memories started to get better when he remembered the day Bill joined the duo in first grade. He remembered how his mother and Maggie were worried that the friendship between Richie and Stan would break. It did not happen though. Bill’s presence strengthened their bond as he balanced out the polar opposites that were Richie’s and Stan’s contrasting personalities. It didn’t take long before they became known as the Three Musketeers. Wherever they went, they were never without one another.

Stanley couldn’t remember when exactly he became known as Bill’s right-hand man. Even with Richie and Georgie’s explanation, he couldn’t really explain it. He just knew that being with Bill, standing beside him, was _right._ Bill became someone important to Stanley in a completely different way Richie was to him. He admitted with a furious blush on his face when he told a gleeful Richie and an understanding Georgie how he was actually jealous that, despite the fact Stanley was Bill’s right-hand man, it was _Richie_ that Bill always brought along to his many insane adventures. In his own special way, Bill became Richie’s best friend too. He was the one who could talk some sense into Richie’s thick skull the same way Richie could reign in Bill’s impulsiveness. Stanley felt like he could breathe only after their little trio was joined by Eddie. Even at such a young, he had a feeling that his trio was missing someone.

And that was Eddie. The little spitfire came into their lives about a year before they began middle school, when Eddie moved to Derry with his mother after the death of Frank Kaspbrak. Bill was the one who brought him to Richie and Stanley, knowing that Derry was tough on anyone who didn’t have friends. Stanley remembered how Richie took an immediate liking toward Eddie, his eyes literally lit up the moment he set them on Eddie’s brown ones. When Richie started to orbit around Eddie almost _all the fucking time,_ Stanley realised that was when they became known as BillandStanley and RichieandEddie. Even people who didn’t know them that well could tell the dynamics between them, despite how the four of them were always together. Stanley knew now the reason why he’d gravitated around Bill, and why Richie followed Eddie around like a lost puppy. But back then, he remembered how he couldn’t help the nagging feeling he had in the back of his mind. He tried to push it back though, reasoning that what mattered was that he had his best friends. So what if Stanley and Bill always chose to partner with each other? So what if Richie and Eddie always sat too close with one another? They were best friends, and although all of Derry hated them, at least they had each other.

When Richie and Georgie told Stanley about the three other members of his group and how they defeated Pennywise the first time, that was the day when Georgie told them that he had to go back to Florida. It came off as a surprise to Stanley, who didn’t realise that the blond had stayed for over a week. Georgie left on a Saturday, after he made Richie promised to give him up dates on his condition. Richie agreed, ruffling the younger man’s hair fondly as if he was still the little child that used to hop onto Richie’s back for a piggy-back ride. Stanley and Richie drove Georgie off to the airport, and as they waved the blond goodbye, Stanley was reminded of all the midnight phone calls he’d seen Richie had when they still lived together. Back then, Richie only said that it was family. He never specified who it was exactly. Stanley knew now that it could only be Georgie. If what Richie and Georgie said was to be believed in—and Stanley _did_ believe them—then it only made sense if it was Georgie who had called Richie almost every day. The only other person who remembered was Mike, and although it was possible that he’d called, Georgie was the one that Richie had trusted with his secret.

Stanley would have been offended that Richie trusted Georgie over him, but he had something more important to mind about.

Namely, Richie’s health.

Everything went downhill after that. Richie was getting sicker and sicker as days passed. It was worst than when they were children. While he managed to direct ten more movies until he was thirty five, at which point he won an Oscar as Best Director for one of his last movies, Stanley could see that it was taking all of Richie’s energy to even get out of his bed. The week after he won his second and last Oscar, Stanley talked to Patty to get Richie to consider retiring. At first, Stanley was ready to provide arguments after arguments, understanding that if Richie retired, Patty would be the first one affected as his manager. Much to Stanley’s surprise, Patty agreed. She even admitted that she actually had been wanting to talk about it, but she hadn’t found how exactly she should bring the matter to Richie because she felt like she was overstepping Richie’s boundaries. Stanley felt a little guilty when Patty told him how left out and alienated she’d been feeling since Georgie came into their lives. It used to be Patty, Stanley and Richie. But then Georgie came along, and although he was all the way in Florida, his presence felt stronger than Patty’s could ever be. Without either Stanley or Richie realising, they had slowly forgotten Patty. It made the accountant felt like a huge dick.

“I’m sorry,” Stanley said as he hugged his girlfriend and gave her a kiss. “I really am. God, I’m a lousy boyfriend. How can I make it up to you, babylove?”

“We’ll deal with that later,” Patty said kindly, although Stanley saw an unreadable look flashed in her eyes. “For now, we focus on taking care of Richie.”

And that was what they did. Obviously, it took a lot of arguing with the stubborn bastard. Despite his many relapses, Richie still insisted that he could still do it. That he could still live his life as if he wasn’t _dying._ Stanley knew if he didn’t have Patty’s support, he would relent. The words would falter everytime he saw the determined look in his friend’s blue eyes, saw the challenge in them. It was very fortunate that Patty wasn’t above playing dirty, and didn’t cave in to Richie’s request as easily as Stanley would. After the third time Richie said no, Patty immediately called Georgie, who yelled and cursed and _cried_ on the phone, telling Richie to _please please please don’t do anything stupid, Rich._ It took a year, but Richie finally agreed to retire. Patty dealt with everything—she was the one who talked to the press, who cleared everything out when the rumours started to come. She was the one who suggested that Richie better moved away from LA, lest the stress got to him. She even went as far as searching for all kinds of houses for Richie. Somehow, every single one of those houses resembled the old Tozier house back in Derry, and they were all in Georgia.

Richie certainly noticed the resemblance, but he said nothing about it other than agreeing to the house that looked the most like his parents’ old house. He didn’t even comment about the location. Stanley and Patty liked to think that it was because Richie liked the house and the environment, but deep down they knew better. Richie was getting too weak, and if they wasted any longer, it would be harder to move him across the country. So, they had to be fast. While Patty sorted out all of the legal matters, Stanley took care of the physical aspect of the moving. Richie’s house might be modest enough for someone as successful as he was. But that didn’t mean he didn’t have shit ton of things to move. It took a couple months until all of his things had been cleared out from his house. Georgie even helped a little, flying in to Georgia to make sure that the house was ready for Richie. It was the week before the move, when Stanley was taking care of his things, when Patty approached him. Richie was asleep in his room, and Georgie hadn’t been calling since the morning. It was the first time in a year that Stanley realised he was alone with Patty without interruption.

“Can I talk to you, Stan?” Patty asked, sitting down on their bed.

“Sure, sure. Just hang on for a sec. I just have to…” Stanley zipped the last of his many suitcases and huffed out when he was done. Giving his girlfriend a smile, he then took a seat beside her. “There. All done. What is it, love?”

When Patty didn’t immediately answer, Stanley knew something was wrong. He waited for her though, because he knew how she hated being rushed. She didn’t look at him when she finally spoke. “Have you given your boss your resignation letter yet?” Patty asked.

“Uh, not exactly,” Stanley said, frowning a little bit because he didn’t know where she was going. “I mean, I did give him the letter, but then he told me that he’s actually been planning on sending me to Georgia? Part of my promotion. He’s more than pleased that my plans fit his. He even offered an extra raise. This makes everything much easier for us.”

Patty nodded. “That’s good. I’m happy to hear that. Richie doesn’t deserve anymore hardships. Not when he’s sick like this.”

“Yeah, that’s true. Hopefully, by the time we’re moving next week, all legal matters will be settled. By the way, have you packed your things yet? Do you need my help? Because, I can—“

“I’m not coming, Stan.”

Stanley felt like time had stopped when he heard those four words.

“What do you mean, Patty?” he asked once he could find his voice again.

For the first time that night, Patty looked at him, and Stanley saw the tears that fell down profusely down her face. The sad smile on her face was positively heart-breaking. “I’m not coming with you and Richie to Georgia,” Patty said in a voice that was barely audible. “A-and I think we should break up.”

“ _What_?” Stanley yelped. He took a couple deep breaths to calm himself down before he continued, reaching forward to hold Patty’s hand. “Why are you breaking up with me? Patty, did I do something wrong? Is it…is it because you don’t like the house? O-or is it because you don’t actually want to move? Because if that’s the reason, I think Richie will understand if we end up staying here after all.”

“Stanley,” Patty said as she squeezed his hand. “Stanley, it’s not your fault. You didn’t do anything wrong, and neither did Richie. And it’s not even George’s fault. Nothing’s wrong.”

“Then why did you—“

“Because I _remember_. I remember you, and I remember Richie,” Patty whispered. “I remember the life when we were married, and I remember the day you died. I remember meeting Richie and taking care of him, and I remember feeling sorry when I had to die before he did. I remember the Losers, Stan. I remember _everything._ ”

_(“Things were…different in that other timeline, Stan. And it was much uglier too.”)_

When Richie and Georgie had told him about the horrible life Richie had lived through before he died _alone_ and miserable, and then got sent back to fix everything, Stanley cried. He cried not for himself, but for Richie. His oldest friend who had to suffer so much, and was suffering even more just because he wanted his friends to be happy. He cried for Richie, who always did everything he could for the sake of others, never mind what the consequences would be for himself. Stanley asked Richie that day, how could he go over everything again and again; how could he stand all those years knowing that even if things would get better, it would get really ugly first? Because if it was Stanley, he wouldn’t be able to do it. He wasn’t strong enough. Richie, naturally, argued him about it. Instead of answering Stanley, Richie tried to convince Stanley that he was strong. That he was even better than Richie could ever dream to be. Stanley didn’t believe him, but he didn’t have the strength to argue Richie. So he just pulled his best friend into hug, wishing with all his might that this time, Stanley could help him. That this time, with Georgie by their side, everything would turn out for the better.

“How long have you known?” Stanley asked Patty, his voice breaking a little. “How long have you remembered?”

“From the very first time I saw you,” Patty said. “Before we met that day in the grocery store. Growing up, I always have dreams of you. So, when I saw you on that first day we started working, even though we didn’t talk, I knew who you were. I didn’t immediately come to you because I _knew_ how it would end up. If we were together, you would die. But I’ve spent my whole life loving you, or at least the _idea_ of you, I was willing to risk it all. To risk your life.”

Stanley shook his head. “No. That’s not true. You’re not the reason why I died in that life, Patty. It’s all because of the clown. Pennywise influenced me into taking my life. It’s not your fault—“

“Stanley, darling,” Patty interrupted, once again squeezing his hand. “You might not remember our life in that timeline, but I do. And I remember you loved me, but not _loved_ me.”

_(“I promise, Bill.”)_

“It’s Bill, isn’t it?” Patty said softly, and so understanding it made Stanley guilty. He truly didn’t deserve her. She was too good for him.

“I’m sorry,” was all Stanley could say. “I truly am sorry. You deserve better than me.”

Patty smiled, pulling him into a hug, and Stanley couldn’t help himself when he buried his face into her hair. “It’s alright. I understand,” the blonde said. “Technically, I _have_ met Bill, remember? I know how stupidly charistmatic he is. In a way, he’s a little bit like Richie. You can’t help but to feel drawn to him. Like a moth would to a flame.”

“That’s one thing they have in common, I guess,” Stanley chuckled. He gave her a quick peck before he pulled away, one hand cupping her face so he could thumb her tears away. “For what it’s worth, I really did love you, Patty. I _do_ love you. It’s just…”

“I know,” Patty said again, nodding. “And I love you too, Stan.”

“I really would miss you. I know Richie would too.”

“You can always call me, you know. And I can always visit. Just tell me when.”

“I will. I promise.”

They hugged each other one last time, for old time’s sake. It felt nice. Stanley didn’t have much friends growing up, other than Losers. To have Patty in his life was probably one of the greatest thing he could possibly imagine happening to him. He made a silent promise to himself that he would do everything in his power to make sure that Patty lived a happily for the rest of her life.

“Stanley?” Patty said, her voice a little muffled against his chest. “Can I ask you a favour?”

“Sure. You can ask for anything,” Stanley said, one hand stroking her back gently.

“When this is all finally over, promise me that you’ll introduce me to Mike Hanlon.”

With his first genuine laugh since the day Richie relapsed, Stanley promised that he’d even pay for their first date, to make sure everything went well.

The day Stanley and Richie finally moved to Georgia, they were driven off to the aiport by Patty. Stanley had left the house for Patty, who wouldn’t stop thanking him until he threatened that he’d get Richie to give her _his_ house too. A part of Stanley still felt guilty for leaving Patty all alone, but the other part of him knew that it was right. That _this_ was what he should do. So, as he held Richie close to him to prevent him from swaying and became the actor’s human-crutch, the both of them waved Patty goodbye and went through the Departure gate. Stanley was grateful that the flight went rather smoothly. Richie was feeling quite all right, and they weren’t bothered by too many of Richie’s fans. It was around five in the afternoon when they arrived in Georgia. True to his words, Georgie was already waiting for them once they’d gotten their bags, and he wasn’t alone. There was a beautiful brunette standing beside him, looking very much like the model she was despite her casual clothes. Both she and Georgie made a really handsome couple, attracting a lot of people’s attention.

“Georgie!” Richie greeted with a huge smile on his face. He quickly let go of Stanley and went to hug the blond, who returned it just as eagerly. “Oh _wow,_ but it is nice to see you again, kid.”

“You too, Rich,” Georgie said, beaming up at the actor before turning to Stanley. “Hey, Stan. Everything alright on the way here?”

“Yeah,” Stanley said, taking his turn to hug him. “Thanks for coming here.”

Georgie shrugged, a shy smile on his face. “Don’t mention it. You know I would do anything for you guys. You two are family, remember.”

“Aw, aren’t you the sweetest,” Richie said as he reached forward to ruffle Georgie’s hair. Still with a fond smile on his face, Richie then turned to the brunette beside Georgie. “And you, you gorgeous thing, must be Laura Mellon.”

“Hello, Mr Tozier,” Laura said, shaking Richie’s hand with barely repressed awe in her blue eyes. “George’s told me all about you. He really speaks highly of you, as if I needed anymore reason to admire _the_ Richie Tozier. I mean, I had a huge crush on you growing up, and now I’m embarrassing myself in front my hero.”

After over a decade, Stanley was used to this; seeing people so starstruck by Richie, even if it was a famous model like Laura. After all, he knew how the sodding idiot could be pretty charming if he wanted to. Especially since he became an actor and stopped telling dick jokes.

“Gorgeous and polite and _awkward._ Ooh, I like her, G,” Richie said, winking at Georgie who rolled his eyes, although he failed to hide his proud grin. “And please, call me Richie. Mr Tozier is my dad, especially now that he’s retired from dentistry. Besides, I’m not _that_ old, despite my ugly mug.”

“Didn’t I just say that I had a crush on you?” Laura said with a grin. “I don’t think you’re ugly, Richie.”

“Keep this up and I might steal you from your boyfriend, miss.”

“Alright, that’s enough flirting, you two,” Georgie said in amusement. “Come on, let’s get you home, _old man._ I have lunch prepared already.”

“Sir, yes, sir,” Richie said, giving a mock-salute. And like the mature, college professor he was, Georgie stuck his tongue out in return.

The ride to their new home didn’t take as long as Stanley expected it would be, and he was grateful for that because, by the time they arrived home, Richie was practically dead on his feet. It seemed like all his strength was spent already from their flight. Stanley had to literally feed him his lunch lest Richie fell unconscious in the middle of it. Richie had barely drunk his water before he fell asleep, and both Stanley and Georgie had to carry him into his room, which was fully equipped with everything his weakening body needed. While Richie slept, Georgie helped Stanley to unpack the rest of his and Richie’s things, and Laura had gone to buy groceries as well as extra medicine that Richie might need. Once they were done with everything, it was already time for dinner, and Richie was still fast asleep. Stanley felt a bit guilty when he woke his friend up, but Richie needed to eat. Fortunately, the actor seemed to feel a lot better after his sleep, making jokes every now and then as he interrogated Georgie on how his life had been.

Georgie began with how his life had been since all the Losers but Mike had left Derry. Things hadn’t been easy for him, what with him never really having friends his age. He wasn’t as oftenly bullied as the Losers had, safe for the constant streams of jeering about his one-hand, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t lonely. And sad. For the longest time, his only friend was Mike, who had to deal with his own fair share of bullying, although his was leaning more toward hate-crime. When Georgie had to leave to go to college to study marine biology, that was probably the most difficult thing he had to do, because he wasn’t ready at all to leave Mike behind, afraid that he too would forget everyone else. But the last Loser in Derry convinced him that even if Georgie did forget him, Mike would be fine. Their goodbye was a tearful one, because with the absence of Bill and Richie, Mike had filled out the position of Georgie’s older brother. He barely remembered his first day settling down in his dorm at University of New Hampshire, too worried that he was going to forget Mike. So, when he woke up the next day and could still remember everything about his chidhool in Derry, he called Mike. They never talked about it, but they both knew how relieved Mike was that he had someone else other than Richie who still remembered him.

The younger Denbrough told them that he met Laura on his third week in college. She was an arts major student, and they _literally_ bumped into one another in a library. Georgie was rushing in because he had to return his book before the library closed, and Laura was rushing _out_ because she was supposed to meet her friend to study together. Georgie nearly knocked her onto the ground, and she would have fallen face first if he hadn’t caught her by her wrist like some cheesy, stupid rom-com. He described the moment as something magical, as if it was straight from a fucking fairy tale. They ended up spending the evening together in a café nearby, trading each other’s numbers before they departed with identical dopey smiles on their faces. The young professor was rather shy when he explained how easy and quick it was for him to fall for Laura, even though both Richie and Stanley told him repeatedly that they understood what he meant. It did seem to work a little though, as Georgie gave the two Losers a grateful smile while he reached for his girlfriend’s hand, who took it with her own smile on her face. It made Stanley wonder how much Georgie had told Laura about their weird lives.

The young couple explained that they had been going out for a year when Bill was finally introduced to Laura. Hearing Bill’s name mentioned, Stanley couldn’t help it when he straightened up in his seat. He was fortunate that Richie was the only who noticed, giving his hand a quick but reassuring squeeze. Stanley nodded discreetly in return at his friend and tried to focus back on Georgie’s story. Bill came to New Hampshire with Eddie because, like Stanley and Richie, they were so dependant on each other they couldn’t be separated for longer than two days—and Bill was staying for a week. It was during a tour of the first book Bill published, and lucky for them, Eddie had just completed his doctorate degree so he could tag along. Georgie was elated when he found out that two of the most important people in his life got along with his girlfriend, even if it was to gang up on him. It was one of the best weeks of his life since he celebrated his twelfth birthday with all of the Losers. He was actually brought to tears when Bill and Eddie had to leave.

As Georgie recounted on how he continued his education so he could become a professor, working the odd jobs here and there to support both him and Laura, who were just starting out as a model then, Stanley’s mind began to drift toward Bill. Even though he tried hard not to, the accountant couldn’t help it when he wondered about how his boyfriend— _or was it_ ex- _boyfriend?—_ was doing now. He knew that Bill just got married three years ago. He saw it on the TV once when he was waiting on Richie, who went to the hospital for his weekly medical check-up. Bill’s wife, the A-lister Audra Phillips, looked a lot like Beverly. When she was interviewed, it was like hearing Beverly talked. Richie had gotten the wedding invitation, sent directly by Audra herself, and he’d offered to take Stanley there. Of course, Stanley said no. He missed Bill like crazy, and he couldn’t guarantee that he wouldn’t ask Bill to run away with him right then and there if he’d come to the wedding. Richie respected his decision, and went on to contact Audra to tell her that he couldn’t come because he was ill. It wasn’t entirely a lie, but Stanley still felt guilty that he had made Richie lie. Ever since then, they always steered clear of any topic regarding Bill, or even Eddie. The last time either names were mentioned was when Georgie had stayed over. It kept Stanley up at night more often than he was willing to admit, thinking about _how_ exactly Richie did it.

How did he live his life pretending as if it was his first time?

How did he let Eddie go with Bill, even though he knew what would happen?

Stanley didn’t even realise that he’d tuned out from the conversation until Georgie and Laura offered to wash the dishes. The couple politely refused Richie and Stanley’s offer to stay the night, saying that they already booked a room at a hotel because they were leaving really early the next day. They said their goodbyes then, Richie and Stanley took turns shaking Laura’s hand before giving Georgie a hug. Richie hugged Georgie first, taking quite a long time as they whispered something to each other. Like he always did every time he said goodbye to Richie, Georgie had tears in his eyes when he pulled back. It made Stanley’s heart clench in his jaw, because it was like Georgie knew that one day, there would be no Richie for him to visit. Stanley pushed the grim thought out of his mind as it was his turn to bid Georgie goodbye. He hugged the younger man tightly, feeling as if it was Bill whom he was hugging. Georgie was a little bigger than Bill was, but Stanley would take anything he could.

“Look after him, will you, Stan?” Georgie whispered to him when they hugged. “Not just for the both of us, but for Bill and Eddie too. And the rest of the Losers.”

“Of course,” Stanley promised. “You take care yourself, okay? I don’t know whatever it is you’ve promised Richie, but I want you to remember that your well-being matters too. We don’t want you to get sick too, Georgie _._ ”

“I promise,” Georgie said, winking. For a split second, Stanley could almost see Bill.

“Oh, Georgie?” Richie said before the blond followed his girlfriend into their car. Richie’s voice was quiet when he spoke next, so that only the three of them could hear it. “There’s another thing.”

“Yeah, Rich?” Georgie said, tensing up a little bit.

“If Laura’s brother ever goes to Derry, you know what you have to do.”

A grim look took over Georgie’s face as he nodded. He said nothing else though, and got into his car wordlessly. And that was the last time Stanley and Richie ever saw Georgie for a long time. To be precise, they didn’t see each other again until five years later. They still talked on the phone from time to time, but it wasn’t exactly the same. It wasn’t because Georgie didn’t want to visit though, because everyone knew that the only reason Georgie wouldn’t drop everything for Richie, was if Bill was involved. That was exactly what happened. Just a year later, Bill’s marriage started to fall apart. Georgie told Stanley and Richie that Bill was slowly recovering his memories. But he didn’t only remember his memories of his chidhood, he also remembered his _past life._ The life he’d lived in Richie’s old timeline. Bill didn’t say it outright, but he’d hinted many times to Georgie that he had been having dreams. He could never really recall what his dreams were, but what he could remember the most was Richie. And Stanley. _Always Stanley._ The accountant would like to say that his heart soared like they always said in the stories, that butterflies filled his whole being because of the love he felt for Bill. He didn’t though. He didn’t have the time to think about Bill. Not when Richie’s health was getting even worse than before.

And this time, Stanley was beyond terrified that one day, Richie would just… _give up._

The day Georgie called to tell that Bill’s divorce with Audra was finalised, Stanley was at the hospital with Richie. For the past couple years, they’d been spending more time at the hospital than at home after that one time Richie slept for a whole day. In fact, they’d been staying at the hospital for three months, much to everyone’s dismay. The Toziers had flown in more times than Stanley could count, before he finally told them to just stay at his and Richie’s place. The first time Maggie offered to stay at the hospital with Richie so Stanley could go home and take a much needed rest, it felt like a huge burden was finally lifted off him. They both knew that Maggie’s actual reason was very much selfish, because she wanted to spend as much time as possible with her son. But still, when Stanley was woken up by Wentworth that day he was sent home by Maggie, the smell of Wentworth’s famous pancakes greeted his senses, that was the first time he acknowledged how _tired_ he’d been. No, he would never regret his decision to take care of Richie. He loved the idiot. They were _brothers_ after all. That didn’t mean the stress wasn’t taking a toll on him though.

Having Maggie and Wentworth living with him again made him feel young. It was as if he’d gone back in time and become a kid again. He hadn’t talked to his parents in almost twenty years, and the Toziers were the closest thing he had to his parents. And they were such great parents, Stanley often forgot that he wasn’t actually their son for real. He was reminded of that fact rather roughly when Richie’s heart flat-lined for seven minutes, which sent Maggie into hysterics until they managed to bring back Richie again. When Richie woke up two days later, Maggie and Wentworth swarmed him with all the love and affection that Stanley had always missed from his own parents, and that was when he realised that the Toziers really were the only family he had left. If Richie had died, Stanley was worried that he wouldn’t be accepted anymore by Maggie and Wentworth. He understood it, but that didn't mean he liked it. So, without him really realising it, Stanley pulled away from his parental figures. Unless it was necessary, he made it a point to avoid Maggie and Wentworth. It went on for a month, and it was only after Richie confronted him about it—because his parents kept on asking _him,_ who had been unconscious most of the time, what was wrong with Stanley—that the accountant finally talked to the Toziers.

Easy to say, both of them looked like Stanley had insulted them and spat in their faces when he told them what he had been worrying about.

Both of them reminded him that he _was_ their son. It didn’t matter that they weren’t related by blood. The day Stanley’s own parents disowned him, the day Stanley tearfully accepted Maggie and Wentworth’s support and love, was the day he became their son. And Stanley couldn’t take it. He _cried._ And he told them almost _everything_. He told them about how scared he was that Richie was dying. He told them how he didn’t think he could go on without Richie by his side. He told them that even though he wouldn’t give up Richie for the world, sometimes he _did_ feel exhausted. He was expecting the Toziers to hate him for it, for saying something so inconsiderate when their son was so very ill. But once again, they surprised Stanley for being two of the kindest people he’d ever had the honour to know. Instead of cursing him for being an ungrateful asshole, Maggie and Wentworth hugged him tightly, telling him that they understood—that they knew it had been difficult for Stanley. They told him that they were more than thankful for everything Stanley had done for Richie, and that if Stanley wanted to leave now, they wouldn’t be mad at him. They knew Stanley deserved a life of his own. A life where he didn’t have to worry about Richie.

Stanley said no. He told them that he would stay until the end, whatever the outcome would be. He didn’t tell them that both he and Richie had unfinished business back in Derry. But he was telling the truth that he would stay, for Maggie and Wentworth. He hated imagining a life without Richie, but he made a silent promise that if Richie was gone, he would be the one to take care of Maggie and Wentworth. He would be _their_ son, and paid them back everything they’d done for him. When they finally returned to Richie’s side, with tear-stained faces and red eyes, Richie looked at them as if he’d known what they’d been discussing about. Wordlessly, he opened his skinny arms— _God, Rich; why does this have to happen to you—_ and beckoned them all to come closer for a hug. They had dinner at Richie’s hospital room that night, eating whatever food they ordered from the cafeteria as they talked about all the happy things they could think of. Stanley couldn’t help but to remember then, that long ago, Richie had mentioned that in his old timeline, his parents had died when he was in his twenties in a car crash. Looking at the huge smile on Richie’s face when he looked at his parents, Stanley knew that his best friend was making the most of his time with Maggie and Wentworth.

Something that he didn’t get in his old timeline.

Stanley offered to be the one to stay the night with Richie, knowing that the Toziers must be exhausted from the roller-coaster of emotion they’d gone through that day. They were reluctant at first, but they relented after Richie stubbornly insisted that he’d be fine, giving them his trademarked cheeky grin. It wasn’t as bright as the one they were used to, but it was nice to see that all the same. Richie fell asleep shortly after his parents left, apparently just as exhausted as they were. Stanley smiled when he noticed that Richie was holding his hand when he slept, something that they used to do back when they were little children, before Bill and Eddie had entered their life. Stanley didn’t even realise when he’d fallen asleep. All he knew was he had leaned back a little on his seat, thinking of their childhood. Then the next thing he knew, he was awoken by the ring of his phone. He took a quick glance at Richie, who was still asleep, before he turned his attention on his phone. It was from an unknown number, from Derry. Stanley knew instantly who had called him. There was only _one_ person in Derry he knew who would call him. Twenty seven years after he and his friends had defeated that fucking clown. Swallowing thickly, Stanley answered the call.

"Hello?" he said, feeling his heart thumping hard and fast against his ribs.

"Hey, Stan. It's Mike,” the voice said, sounding so strange and yet familiar at the same time.

"Mike Hanlon. From Derry,” Stanley said slowly. In his mind, he could picture his gentle-hearted best friend, from age thirteen to eighteen. The last time they saw each other.

"That's me,” Mike said, sounding both surprised and pleased. “Do you...do you remember me?"

Stanley swallowed again before he spoke. "I do."

"Wow. That's…that’s good," Mike said, letting out a relieved chuckle. “I honestly wasn’t expecting that.”

"I know.” Taking a deep breath, Stanley continued. “It's back, isn't It? Pennywise."

There was a long pause before Mike answered. If he was confused by everything, he did a pretty good job ignoring it. "Yeah. I'm sorry for this, Stan, but you'll have to come back. We made an oath, remember? Twenty seven years ago that summer—“

_(“S-swear. If It isn’t dead, if It ever comes back, we’ll come back too.”)_

_(“I promise, Bill.”)_

"I can't, Mike,” Stanley said, his voice practically a whisper as he took another quick glance at Richie. “I’m sorry, but I can't go back."

_I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m really,_ really, _sorry._

"Stanley, please. I know you're scared, but—“

"No, you don't understand. I can't leave Richie. And I don't think he's up for travelling either."

A beath, then, "Wait, you remember, Richie?"

Stanley couldn’t help himself when he snorted out a soft laugh. "Of course. Hard to forget him when he's been with me all these years."

"You mean, you two have been together this whole time? For the past _twenty_ _two_ years?"

Another pause, then, "Yes."

"Well, that's great! That makes everything easier. To be honest, I’ve been wondering how in the world am I supposed to get his contact. What with him being one of the biggest actor in the world, and a recluslive one at that… Is he with you right now?"

"Right now, I am.”

"What do you mean by that? Hang on. Did you say Richie's not up for travel?"

_This is it. This is the horrible truth._

"Yes," Stanley said, the word felt bitter in his mouth. "It's because he's in a hospital. Hooked up to at least ten machines to keep him alive."

" _Jesus,”_ Mike breathed. He took quite a while before he spoke again, and Stanley noticed his voice sounded wet. “W-what happened? Did he get into an accident or some—“

"Is that Mike?"

Stanley froze at Richie’s soft whisper, tuning out from Mike as he turned to look at his best friend. Clenching his jaw, he said, "Go back to sleep Richie."

"No,” Richie said stubbornly, already shaking his head as he pressed the button to call for the nurse. “Tell him we're coming to Derry. Tell him we'll meet him at the Jade Orient in two days."

" _What_?" Stanley yelped. "Fucking _no_! Richie, you can’t be serious. I promised your parents that I will take care of you. They’ll _hate me_ if I let you go to Derry in your condition.”

“That’s why we’re leaving tonight, Stanny,” Richie said, pressing the button again impatiently. “That’s why we’re not telling them until we’re already there.”

“You’re fucking insane, Rich,” Stanley chuckled out mirthlessly. “If you think that I’m letting you do that, then you’ve officially lost your mind.”

"What is it?” Mike asked from the phone. “What happened? Stanley, is Richie awake? Did he say anything? What did he say?”

Stanley ignored him, focusing his attention on his _stupid_ best friend.

“You’re not going, Rich,” Stanley said through clenched teeth. “I’ll fucking tie you to your bed if I fucking have to.”

Old Richie would have made a sexual joke. He would have said something about Stanley being a closeted, kinky fucker. But this Richie, who looked like he was on Death's front door, merely gave Stanley a sad smile. Heaving deeply, the actor looked like he’d aged another century as his blue eyes looked imploring at Stanley’s hazel ones. "Stanley, I love you. I really do. You’re my brother and I owe you everything. And I'm sorry for worrying you all these years, but we _have_ to go. We have to go back home or else—“

" _For fuck’s sake, Rich, you're fucking dying!_ ” Stanley exploded. “Don’t you remember what just happened last month? You _died,_ Rich. For _seven_ minutes, you _fucking died_! Do you know what’s going to happen if you leave this hospital?”

"Stan...?” Mike whispered. He sounded genuinely scared now. “What do you mean?”

But once again, Stanley ignored him.

"I know. I have always known, Stan,” Richie said seriously, his tone uncharacteristically solemn—and Stanley _hated_ it. He hated this Richie. Stanle hated how life had changed him. He wanted his old friend back. The Richie who was brighter than the sun, louder than a parade.

The Richie who was practically the epitome of life.

"So why do we have to go to Derry then?" Stanley said. If Richie wanted to be stubborn, then Stanley would be just as stubborn. "Because, I have a feeling that once everything’s all over, you're not coming back here with me. _Alive._ "

"You know why, Stan," Richie replied in that _fucking_ tone again. "You know what would happen to _them_ if we don’t come home.”

"Richie..."

"Stanley, _please_."

Stanley loved Richie. He really did. He didn’t doubt that if Bill and Eddie had never come into their life, there was a huge chance that they would end up together. They probably wouldn’t love one another the way they loved Bill and Eddie. But the point was they _loved_ each other. They would do _everything_ for each other. They already did. They always did. And against his better judgement, Stanley knew that they were going to do it again.

Quite possibly for the last time.

"Mike?" he finally said, quiet but resolute. Stanley was half-expecting that Mike had hung up, but wasn’t surprised to find that he hadn’t.

"Yes, Stan?" Mike answered.

"We'll be there."


	3. Eddie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, I can't believe that this chapter is even longer than the previous one. But we're almost there, guys! We're almost at the end. One more chapter, then there's the epilogue. And then that's it! I hope you guys like this chapter. Tell me what you guys think, okay ;)

Eddie knew he was the first one to notice.

How could he not? Richie and Eddie were practically attached at the hip after all. Wherever Richie was, Eddie would always be right there beside him. They spent so much time together since the day they met when they were ten years old, that after sometime, people knew them as RichieandEddie. As one, instead of as separate individuals. Although Eddie hadn't been around Richie for the past twenty two years, but the moment he set foot in the Jade Orient, he found himself remembering his childhood clearly, almost as if it was only the other day.

Eddie did try to talk to Richie when they were kids. He tried to confront his best friend about it the moment he woke up from fainting the first time. It was after he saved little Georgie. Eddie had sneaked out of his house to visit Richie at the hospital, and he sat by Richie's bed for almost an hour before Richie woke up. Like everything Eddie always did when he was stressed out, his first response was to lash out at Richie. Told the idiot he was insane for going out in the storm like that. He could have fucking _died_ , _for fuck's sake!_ Richie was quiet the whole time Eddie yelled at him, and by the time Eddie asked him if Richie was okay because he'd noticed the taller boy had been uncharacteristically quiet, it was too late. Richie had pulled into himself, refusing to talk to Eddie. He even asked Eddie to leave. _Politely_. Taken aback, Eddie did as Richie asked him too. He cried himself to sleep the moment he got home, and avoided Richie like the plague for the next few days.

They only started talking again after Richie came to his house to apologise. He didn't explain though about what caused him to faint the first time, and Eddie didn't ask. He knew he should have, but he was always selfish. He always had been. If asking Richie meant he was losing his best friend, that Eddie would leave it alone. He didn't even ask Richie when he fainted again, after they saved Ben from Bowers. At that point, Eddie was sure the rest of the Losers had finally noticed that something was definitely wrong with Richie. The doctors couldn't find the cause of it though, and even though it killed Eddie to pretend as if he didn't worry constantly for Richie, he kept quiet. He was a child, and in his childish mind, he convinced himself that it was the best thing he could possibly do.

Many times Eddie was tempted to talk about it to someone else. His friends, for example. But then Richie started to avoid him. He didn't fight Eddie for the hammock anymore, he didn't come to Eddie's room as often as he used to, he even stopped holding Eddie's hands. To everyone else, the changes were barely noticeable. But for Eddie, that was a lot. And he _hated_ it. As if that wasn't enough, Bill's brother started to hang out with them. No, Eddie didn't hate Georgie. He loved him, he really did. But there would always be apart of him that was terrified of the day Richie would like Georgie more than him. Much to his horror, it seemed like his biggest fear was going to happen. Ever since Richie saved him, Georgie began to worship the ground he walked on. So Eddie did the only thing he could to retaliate. Something he always did since he knew Richie.

He monopolised all of Bill's attention whenever Georgie was around.

But he felt guilty for doing. Because he knew that it wasn't Georgie's fault. Hell, it wasn't even _Richie's_ _fault_. It was probably Eddie's. He always knew that one day, Richie would get sick of him, and would stop caring for him. Like Bill, Richie could have been friends with anyone if he wanted to. So, why would he stick with Eddie? With guilt burdening his heart, Eddie decided to stop being childish, and started to pray every night for the Lord's forgiveness. He also prayed for Richie to get well, because it made Eddie sad to see Richie in so much pain. He didn't even pray for the old Richie to come back to him. He figured that he was done being selfish, and that it was better for him to let Richie go. They were the best of friends, and Eddie had faith that one day, they would be alright again.

But then _fucking Bill_ had to drag them all the way into Neibolt that first time, just because he was paranoid It would try to take Georgie away from him, and then Richie sacrificed himself for Bill. Pennywise was about to grab Bill, when Richie bravely stepped in his way, challenging the clown to hurt him instead. For almost ten seconds, nothing happened. But just before Eddie could pull Richie toward him, It threw Richie aside as if he weighted nothing, before disappearing with a manic cackle. Richie hurt his head, and that was when Eddie snapped. He couldn't take it anymore. He'd done everything he could to make sure Richie was safe and happy, then Bill had to ruin all of that. He didn't really remember what exactly he'd screamed at Bill. He was just so _angry_. The only thing he could remember was punching Bill before running all the way to the hospital to see Richie.

Maggie was there to greet him when he arrived. She didn't seem at all surprised to see him. She merely gave him a smile, squeezed his shoulder kindly, and then left the room while telling Eddie that she trusted him to watch over her son. In Eddie's opinion, that was a terrible mistake. Because, the moment Maggie left, Eddie broke down. He collapsed into the chair beside Richie's bed, gripped Richie's immobile hand, and cried his eyes out. He cried and cried and _cried_ , because he didn't know what to do. He missed Richie, but he didn't know how to get him back. He was scared that he was losing Richie, _permanently_. As he held Richie's cold hands, he was suddenly overwhelmed with the fear that one day, Richie was going to _die_. That one day, Richie would _leave him_. And Eddie knew, without Richie, he wouldn't be able to go on. His mother would break him, he was sure of that. Without Richie, Eddie was as good as dead.

"Eds?" Richie whispered, the hand in Eddie's grip weakly squeezed his hand. It surprised Eddie, leaving him gaping at his best friend with tears still falling down his face profusely.

"Richie..." Eddie whispered. He couldn't help it. His cries only grew stronger, and he was pressing Richie's hand to his face. As if by doing so, it would prevent Richie from leaving Eddie.

"Hey, hey," Richie said, gently cupping Eddie's face with the hand that was still pressed to his face. "Eddie, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

Eddie wanted to yell at him. There he was, lying with thick bandages wrapped tightly around his newly shaved head, looking like Death warmed over him, and Richie had the gall to _worry_ about Eddie? After ignoring Eddie for weeks, avoiding him like he'd done something terrible, Richie actually acted like he _cared_? Eddie was so, _so_ mad at him. He hated him. He hated this Richie. He wanted his friend back. And he would have said all of that, if he wasn't so terrified that one wrong word from him would make Richie avoid him again. So, instead, Eddie started to beg.

"Please, don't go," Eddie sobbed out. "Please, please, _please_ , don't leave me, Chee. If...if you don't want to be friends with me again, i-it's fine. It's okay. Just don't...don't go. Don't...die on me."

"Eddie," Richie said, his voice as broken as Eddie felt. But Eddie wasn't done yet.

"Promise me. Promise me that you won't leave me. Promise me that you won't die. I- I don't think I can live without you, Chee..."

"Come here, Eds," Richie said, scooting to the side to give Eddie some space. "Lay down with me."

"What? _No!"_ Eddie said, shaking his head. "You're hurt. I can't possibly—“

" _Eddie, please_. Just get up here."

He knew he should have said no. That was what a good friend should do. But Eddie had long accepted that he wasn't a good friend. Eddie had long known that he was selfish, especially when it came to Richie's attention. So, before Richie could ask him one more time, Eddie climbed up onto the bed and carefully tucked himself beside Richie. He was over the moon when he felt Richie's arms around him, and Eddie buried himself deeper into Richie, pressing his face against Richie's chest so he could feel the life in him. It was the happiest he'd ever felt in his life. Being with Richie, held tightly in his arms, was right. It was like he belonged right there. Tucked safely in his best friend's arms. Protected. And loved. So, _so loved._

God, Eddie loved him. He knew now. Eddie loved Richie. He loved him so much, being away from Richie physically pained him.

"You know," Richie started, his lips grazing Eddie's ear when he spoke as his fingers gently stroke Eddie's hair. "I really love you. So, so much. You're all I want in my life, Eds. All I ever need."

It was as if Richie could read his mind. Eddie had no doubt that Richie probably could. He wrapped his arm tighter around Richie, wanting to be as close to him. Wishing that they would always be this close. That was all Eddie ever wanted.

"I love you too, Rich," Eddie whispered. He pulled back a little so he could look into Richie's blue eyes. Eddie thought he'd never seen such a beautiful colour before. "I want to be with you. _Always_. Promise me that you'll always be there for me. Please."

"Eddie..."

"Promise me, Rich."

It was like hours went by before Richie answered him, when in reality, Eddie knew it was only few seconds. But it felt longer. He was about to give up, hands started to untangle from around Richie, when the taller Loser nodded. "I promise. I promise I will be with you, for as long as you'll have me, Eddie."

"I want you forever, Chee."

"Then forever it is."

Eddie trusted Richie with all his heart. He trusted him with his _life_. He knew Richie would never break his promise. He knew Richie would do everything for him. So when Richie told him that he got accepted into Stanford with Stanley, Eddie let him go. He was devastated about it, but he believed that one day, they would find their way back to each other. He still cried his eyes out when he waved Richie goodbye from Bill's car as they made their way to New York. He couldn't stop crying, no matter how hard he tried. It was as if his heart knew what he was leaving behind. Of course, the farther he was from Derry, the more he forgot about Richie. But even when he'd forgotten practically everything about his life, his heart still longed for Richie. He would still cry himself to sleep every once in a while, although he didn't know why. At first, he thought it was because he missed his mother. But then Sonia died when he was twenty five, and Eddie felt like a huge burden was lifted off him. It was terrible of him, he was well aware of that. He couldn't help but to feel that that was inevitable though. That Sonia's death would completely set him free.

But then Bill started to get serious with his girlfriend Audra Phillips, and Eddie began to fear the day when he would be all alone. It didn't take long before he was consumed by it. After all, fear was an old friend of his. It was why when he met Myra Novak, who was in one of his classes, he accepted her friendship without hesitation. They only knew each other for two months before Myra started to introduce him as her boyfriend to her friends, and it was only a month later when she began to talk him into taking all sorts of vitamins and supplements. Then, before he knew it, he was turning twenty eight, and Myra was telling him about the kind of engagement ring she wanted. Eddie didn't even realise when he'd bought her a ring and proposed to her. It felt like an out-of-body experience, as he watched Myra showed off to her friends the golden ring Eddie had proposed her with.

Eddie did notice though, that Bill—kind and supportive Bill, who stuck by his side throughout the years—was against the engagement. But the up-and-rising author said nothing about it, probably knowing that Eddie would react awfully. It was Georgie who finally spoke out against it, his soft-features twisting into something unpleasant before he ranted out facts after facts about why Eddie should break off the engagement. At that point, Eddie had forgotten why exactly he always felt a bit of resentment toward his best friend's brother. He didn't remember that once, he competed for Richie's attention against Georgie. He never really minded it before, thinking that it was only because he wasn't good with younger people. But as Georgie kept on yelling at him, his voice slowly getting louder, Eddie suddenly felt angry. He didn't remember why, but Eddie could vaguely remember that Georgie once nearly took something dear to Eddie. So, Eddie fought back. And he fought hard. They were yelling at each other for almost an hour, ignoring Bill who desperately tried to make them stop. And then, it was like Eddie's hand had moved all on its own. Because he didn't realise it when he'd thrown a plate at Georgie.

Georgie didn't talk to him for almost two months after that fight. And Eddie couldn't bare to be in the same room with Bill for that whole time. He had crossed a line, he knew that. He fucking _threw a plate_ at his best friend's brother, who he knew was only looking out for him. He was already contemplating on moving out, already looking for an apartment that would suit him, when Georgie came back. And he brought a big box of medicine. Of _placebos_ that Eddie could remember his mother had fed him nearly through all of his childhood. Georgie began to list out the similarities between Myra and Eddie's mother, and Eddie was struck silence as he slowly began to acknowledge that Georgie _was_ right. Myra really was bad for him. He was embarrassed that as a competent pharmacist, he didn't realise what she was making him do. Even worse, when Georgie pointed out how Myra tried to separate Eddie from Bill, he knew that the blond was right. And when Eddie turned to look at Bill, the only family he had left, he saw it. He saw the ugly truth in Bill's eyes. The author didn't have to say anything, but Eddie knew.

He was engaged to Myra for exactly six months before he broke it off. It was a complete nightmare to deal with her rage, but in the end, it was all worth it.

Life started to get better for Eddie ever since then. He had a job that he loved, that paid him more than enough. He had two— _yes, two_ —best friends who he loved like his own brothers. He had a house of his own not far from Bill's, which he decorated himself the way he always wanted. There might be something missing in his life, but if Eddie ignored it just hard enough, he didn't even notice it. Everything was great for him. Unfortunately, as things were looking up for him, it went downhill for Bill. It began with his marriage. After four years of being married, Eddie noticed that something seemed to change between Bill and Audra. Bill started to avoid Audra, spending more and more time at Eddie's place instead of his own house. When he was home, according to Audra, he would isolate himself in his office. While Eddie's own relationship with Myra wasn't the best example, even he knew that you didn't avoid your spouse the way Bill did. Eddie never asked his friend though, what happened to him and Audra. He didn't try asking Georgie either, although he was sure that the blond definitely had an idea what was wrong. Eddie merely told his friend that he would support whatever Bill decided to do, like Bill always did for him.

He truly wasn't expecting Bill to finally tell him everything. It began with the dreams. The dreams of a childhood they couldn't remember, of the friends they'd all somehow forgotten. Bill told him that Eddie was in a lot of their dreams, along with that actor Richie Tozier and his rumoured partner, Stanley something. They were all so young though, in the dreams, eighteen being the oldest Bill had seen of them. In his dreams, they would go all over their hometown together, smiling and laughing and joking around. Sometimes, Georgie would be there too. But most of the time, the dreams were of Bill and his friends. If Eddie noticed that Bill talked a great deal about _that_ Stanley, he made sure to keep quiet about it. Because there was something more interesting that Bill also mentioned. The author kept on talking about how Eddie would _always_ be standing beside Richie Tozier. Bill told him that he almost never saw Eddie and Richie without each other in his dreams. It made Eddie wonder what had happened to him and Richie to stop talking, if they really were that close.

Bill didn’t stop there though. He was more hesitant when he told Eddie about the other part of his dreams, as if he didn’t think Eddie would react kindly to it. It took Bill another hour before he told Eddie about the _alternate life_ he dreamed of. And these things Bill saw weren’t as pretty as the childhood dreams. In those dreams of that other life, Bill didn’t see Eddie and Stanley. He only saw Richie, and Audra, and four other people Bill figured were his other friends. He saw Richie a lot in those dreams, and the actor was in a horrible state. In one dream, Bill saw Richie hospitalised after a suicide attempt. In another, Bill saw Richie breaking down as he yelled at Bill how he hated him. Bill didn’t say it, but Eddie had a feeling that the reason _he_ wasn’t in the dreams, and Stanley too, was because they were dead. For some reason, realising that there was a life where he _died,_ didn’t send Eddie into a fit of hysterics. He was oddly calm about it, as if he’d always known in the back of his mind that he wasn’t meant to live long until he was old and grey.

Bill only stopped talking when Audra called him, and that was when the two friends realised they’d spent talking for the past twelve hours. Eddie could tell that there was something else Bill wasn’t telling him about his dream. But he never got to ask his friend about it. Not when Audra served Bill divorced papers the moment he came home to her. No one who knew the couple was surprised to hear about it, knowing how shaky their marriage had been for the past year. The media went crazy though, once the news came out. It was horrible. Audra was a three-timed Oscar nominated actress by then, and Bill had so many best-selling books for someone who wasn’t even forty yet. It was understandable that their divorce would be the biggest gossip the world had ever heard about. The only news that could rival it was when Richie Tozier’s manager, Patricia Blum, released a statement saying that her client was retiring. Blum never specified the reason why, and she implored everyone to respect Richie’s wishes to not talk about it. Of course, the world didn’t exactly do as they were asked, and when Bill moved back to live with him, Eddie would find reporters waiting at his porch nearly every day of the week. He imagined the same happened to Richie.

Eddie didn’t realise it at first, but ever since Bill told him of his dreams, about how Eddie _and_ Richie seemed to be so close, he started to spend a lot of time Googling about the actor. It was never a discussion between him and Bill, but since the day Richie became popular, Eddie had a bit of a crush on him. He _always_ watched all of his movies. When Bill started to go out with Audra, it took everything in Eddie’s power to not ask her a hundred questions about Richie. He had thought that he would stop as years passed, but he didn’t. He was truly disappointed when Audra told him and Bill that Richie wouldn’t be able to come to their wedding. Eddie figured his crush on Richie was the reason why he was never interested in dating anyone. Myra didn’t count because _she_ was the one who got them together. As he Googled facts after facts about Richie, Eddie came to the conclusion that he was gay _._ And that he, despite his doctorate degree in pharmacy, was _in love_ with an actor whom he had never met. Even if Bill’s dreams were to be believed, he hadn’t talked to Richie in twenty two years. He didn’t even remember that they were ever friends to begin with. It was ridiculous. He was no better than a stupid teenager obsessing over a celebrity.

But that realisation meant something to Eddie. He knew that he had to start accepting the fact that he was gay. He had no doubt that Bill knew about it, and that Georgie definitely knew too. So, one day, when the three of them were having their monthly dinner together, Eddie told them.

“I’m gay,” Eddie blurted out just when Bill was taking a drink. He would have felt guilty for making his best friend choked on the drink if he wasn’t so nervous he felt like having a panic attack.

Nothing horrible happened though. The world didn’t collapse on him, mountains didn’t suddenly explode, and his best friends didn’t yell at him. The only thing that happened was Bill coughing a lung out as Georgie smacked his back to help him.

“Thank you for telling us, Eddie,” Georgie said with a smile. “And I want you to know that we’ll always love you no matter what.”

“Yeah,” Bill rasped, his eyes a little watery as he tried to get his breathing right again. He took a few deep breaths before he could finally talk. There was his trademarked understanding smile on his face as he reached forward to hold Eddie’s hand. “I guess I should tell you that I’m bisexual. And I’m truly sorry that I’ve never told you about this. You probably wouldn’t have to deal with Myra.”

At that point, Eddie had figured out that Bill couldn’t be straight. Not when he talked about Stanley a lot. He didn’t mind that Bill didn’t tell him though. He knew Bill had his own reasons. Giving his best friend a smile, Eddie squeezed Bill’s hand and said, “It’s okay. At least we’re both finally out. And I suppose I should thank you for telling me this.”

Bill’s smile widened as he nodded. “You’re welcome.”

Their dinner was cut short though, when Georgie received a call from his girlfriend Laura. Whatever it was that Laura told him, Eddie knew it was bad. _Really bad._ The young professor didn’t tell them what had happened, only said that Laura’s brother, aspiring journalist named Adrian, needed some help. Bill instantly went on big-brother mode seeing the distress in Georgie’s face, repeatedly asking his little brother whether he needed help. Georgie refused though, and after a quick goodbye and promise that they’d see each other soon, he left the house. For the rest of the night, the two friends were wide awake as they worried about Georgie’s well-being. They wondered what had really happened to Adrian that made Georgie so worried. When Bill tried calling Georgie the next day and the younger Denbrough didn’t answer him, Eddie knew that something serious had happened. He took the initiative to call Laura while Bill paced the house like a caged-tiger. Laura’s answer was rather brief and vague, saying that Adrian got into some sort of trouble that needed Georgie’s help. She hung up just when Eddie was halfway asking her to explain more about it. Eddie was about to call her again when he heard Bill received a call. Thinking it was from Georgie, Eddie quickly approached Bill, who set his phone on loud-speaker when he saw Eddie coming.

“…is Mike Hanlon. From Derry?” the voice from the phone said.

_("Thanks, guys, but you shouldn't have done that. He'll be after you guys too now.")_

_("Oh, no, no, Bowers? He's always after us.")_

_("Yeah. I guess that's one thing w-w-we all have in common.")_

_("Yeah, Homeschool - welcome to the Losers' Club!")_

“Mike,” both Bill and Eddie breathed in unison, and Eddie had no doubt that Bill was suddenly remembering the same thing as he did.

A summer of riding bikes together. A summer when he made life-long friends. A summer spent hunting a monstrous clown in a sewer. A summer that became the worst time of Eddie’s life. A summer that changed _everything._

“Is there… Do you have someone with you, Bill?” Mike asked. He’d probably heard Eddie’s voice.

“It’s me,” Eddie said before Bill could. “It’s Eddie. Eddie Kapsbrak.”

“ _Oh my God!”_ Mike exclaimed, and he sounded incredibly elated when he let out a laugh. “This is great. Wow, you two have been together too this whole time? I thought Stanley and Richie were the only ones.”

“Stanley?” Bill asked. “Stanley…Stanley _Uris_ , you mean.”

“Yeah, and Richie Tozier. You remember, right? The four of you were friends the longest.”

_(“Cute, cute, cute!”)_

“It’s slowly coming back to us, I think,” Bill said in a strained voice.

“Does this mean that you remember… _the clown?_ ”

_(“Time to float!”)_

“Motherfucker,” Eddie breathed out. He was grateful that he had his couch behind him because suddenly, he felt like fainting. He was so, so _terrified._ It was like fear was the only thing he knew.

“It’s back, right?” Bill whispered. “And we have to come back too.”

“Yes, Bill,” Mike said. “We made a promise twenty seven years ago, remember? I actually tried calling you first, but your phone had been so busy this whole day. So I tried calling others, started out with Stanley. And he’s with Richie.”

“Are they coming too?” Eddie couldn’t help but ask. Going back to Derry would be the last thing he ever wanted to do, but if Richie was there…

Eddie would fucking jump into a volcano if it meant he could see Richie again.

“Yes, but…” Mike trailed off. He took a second to pause, but that was more than enough to alert Eddie that something was wrong.

“What? Is something wrong?” he quickly asked. “Mikey, are they alright?”

“I don’t reallly know,” Mike said slowly. “Stan originally didn’t want to come at first, because Richie is sick. Like, _really_ sick. He only agreed to come after Richie insisted that they would.”

_RichieissickRichieissickRichieissickRichieissick._

“What’s wrong with him?” Bill asked. He gave Eddie’s hand a quick squeeze, and it helped Eddie to feel more grounded. Bill probably knew that he nearly had a panic attack right there and then.

“They wouldn’t tell me. I only know that it’s bad because…” Mike once again trailed off, and Eddie _knew._ Like Eddie would for Richie, there was nothing in the world that Stanley wouldn’t do for Bill. So, something really bad must have happened to Richie. Coupled with the fact that Richie was retired at the peak of his career, it only made sense.

“We’ll be there by tomorrow,” Eddie heard Bill promised Mike. "Just text us the details of everything."

Mike promised that he would before he hung up. Eddie then offered to Bill, who was still fretting over Georgie, to book them the earliest flight they could fine to Bangor. Bill thanked him profusely before he tried to contact his brother again. Once Eddie got their flights, scheduled to leave at ten in the morning, he started to pack his and Bill's things. It was already around twelve when Bill finally came to his room, looking calmer than before. After a whole day of radio silence, Georgie finally answered Bill's call. He said that he was fine, and that Adrian was okay too, but he didn't give out anymore details. When Bill asked him where he was, Georgie merely said that he would call Bill again once he was done dealing with his problems. Eddie understood why Bill was so worried. In all the years they knew each other, Georgie had never kept a secret from Bill. They were the kind of brothers who told each other everything. Eddie couldn't help but to fear for the worst; that Adrian had dragged Georgie into a gravely dangerous situation. But the pharmacist knew his neurotic-self wouldn't be much help if he voiced out his thoughts to Bill. Instead, he told Bill that they could have a sleepover in his room, like they used to back when they were children. Bill refused it in the beginning, saying that he didn't want to disturb Eddie's rest. However, the moment his head hit the pillow after Eddie insisted upon him, the author was out like a light.

Eddie didn't really believe in bad omens, but he was tempted to change his mind when he encountered problems after problems on their way to derry. It began with their flight to Bangor getting delayed for an hour. Then there was also a problem with the rental car that they booked. By the time they finally got to the Town House in Derry, it was already five in the afternoon, and both of them were exhausted. All Eddie wanted was to sleep until the next morning, but Bill told them Mike had texted them the address of the restaurant where they would all meet. With a dramatic groan, Eddie got up from his bed and went to take a quick shower, after promising Bill that _yes_ , he'd come to the dinner with him. The restaurant Mike told them was a new one, a Chinese restaurant with the name the Jade Orient. From the outside, it looked quite decent, so Eddie figured it was worth sacrificing his nap. Besides, he was feeling a little hungry.

Mike was already waiting at the table reserved for them when they got there, standing restlessly as he kept on glancing at his watch. He immediately relaxed when he saw Bill and Eddie, a huge smile broke out on his face as he made his way toward them for a hug. It was weird seeing the man, especially since the last thing Eddie remembered of Mike was that he was only eighteen years old back then. And now he was forty, and he stood even taller than he was in his teens. There were worry lines on his face, lines that Eddie knew weren't there before. It made Eddie felt terrible for wanting to just skip dinner. Mike had waited twenty seven years for them, had sacrificed his whole life. The least Eddie could do was to come to a simple dinner for him. Bill was asking Mike about how he was doing when Eddie saw a familiar head full of red hair. It was Beverly, the only woman in Eddie's life that he loved. She looked even more beautiful than she was in her teens. Standing next to her was probably one of the most good looking men Eddie had ever seen, and it took him a while to realise that it was Ben.

"Bev!" Eddie called out. "Hey, Bev! Ben! Over here, you guys!"

"Eddie!" Beverly squealed once her eyes located him, and with a purely jubilant laugh, she marched up toward him before tackling him into a hug. "Oh my _God_ , how are you? What have you been up to? _Please_ tell me you've become a doctor."

"Let the man breathe, Bev," Ben chuckled as he gave Bill and Mike a hug. "Hi, Eddie. I hope you're doing well."

"Hey, Ben," Eddie greeted in return, pulling him into a hug after Beverly let go of him. "Looking good, Hanscom. I almost didn't recognise you. And your guess was nearly correct, Bev. I'm a pharmacist."

"Of course, you are," Beverly said with a huge smile before she turned to greet Bill and Mike.

"I know all of you have been doing really well," Mike said proudly. "I'm so proud of all of you. I can't believe I'm standing here with an international best-selling writer, world-class designer, America's top leading pharmacist and owner of the country's biggest architect firm."

"We wouldn't have been able to achieve all that if it weren't for you, Mikey," Eddie said, feeling an overwhelming sense of love for his best friend. "So, thank you very much."

There were tears in Mike's eyes when he smiled at Eddie. "Don't mention it. I'm just so happy that we're finally together again."

"All of you are horrible saps," Beverly said, her own tears had also fallen. "Come on, boys. Group hug."

People must be staring at them, Eddie was sure of that. He didn’t care though. This was his friends. His _family._ And he hadn’t seen them for twenty two years. If he wanted to fucking hug them for another hour, everyone else would just have to deal with it.

“Look at that, Stanny; they’re having an orgy without us.”

Eddie might have pushed Beverly and Mike off him rather roughly in his haste to turn around, but he noticed that Bill reacted the same way so he figured the others would understand. He briefly acknowledged how Bill called out for Georgie, who gave his brother an awkward wave. But Eddie’s whole attention zeroed in on the person standing beside Georgie. It was Richie— _and he looked awful._ Richie had always been paler than most people, something he took after Wentworth. But this Richie, whom Eddie hadn’t seen in twenty two years, was practically translucent. His skin was grey and sallow, and the way it clung tightly on his sharp features told Eddie just how _sick_ Richie was. Even with the baggy clothes he wore, Eddie could see just how much weight Richie had lost. When Mike told him and Bill that Richie was sick, he truly wasn’t expecting that it would be this bad. This was even worse than when Richie was a teenager. At least back then, Richie didn’t look like he was about to collapse on his feet if he stood any longer, one hand gripping tightly on the man who Eddie assumed could only be Stanley.

“Richie, what happened to you?” Beverly whispered wetly, asking the question everyone was wondering about as she went forward to hug the actor.

“You look radiant as always, Miss Marsh,” Richie said instead, his trademarked crooked grin on his face. He shakily let go of Stanley before he bent down to hug Beverly.

“Do you need to sit down?” Ben asked, ever the sweetheart. He was already pulling a chair for Richie.

Eddie wasn’t even aware that he’d opened his mouth until he heard his own voice saying, “He needs to lie down; _that’s_ what he fucking needs. What the _fuck,_ Richie? You look half-dead on your feet.”

Normal people would have been offended. But not Richie. He was beaming up at Eddie, and for a split second, he looked almost like the old Richie. The one who was livelier than a parade. “I miss you too, Eddie Spaghetti,” Richie said, opening his arms for Eddie. “Why don’t you come here and give me a big hug, you tiny gremlin.”

Eddie couldn’t help himself. It _had_ been twenty two fucking years, and he missed Richie like crazy. He practically launched himself into Richie’s arms, probably elbowing Beverly to the side in the process. He was openly crying when he felt Richie’s skinny arms wrapped around his waist. _This_ was where he belonged. In Richie’s arms. Twenty two years, and he was finally _home._ But his heart was breaking when he hugged Richie tighter and could feel the man’s portruding spine. Eddie remembered Richie seemed to be much bigger in his movies, before he retired. It made the pharmacist wonder just how _sick_ Richie really was. It had only been five years since he retired, but Richie looked like he’d been been sick for at least a decade. Terrifying thoughts began to fill his mind, all of them coming with the one conclusion that he feared the most—that Richie was _dying._ Eddie hadn’t seen him for twenty two years, and now that they finally met, Richie was going to leave him. Again.

“Do you remember what you promised me, Chee?” Eddie whispered faintly, just for the two of them to hear. “Twenty seven years ago.”

“I do,” Richie replied softly. Like he did almost three decades ago, his lips were grazing Eddie’s lips when he spoke.

“I want you to promise the same thing. Right now,” Eddie said. He pulled back a little so he could look into Richie’s eyes. The eyes he loved _so much._ “Promise me that you'll always be there for me. And I mean it in every way.”

_Promise me that you’re going to live for me,_ were the words Eddie wanted to say. He didn’t have too though, because Richie understood. He always did.

“I promise,” Richie began, his bony hands gently cupping Eddie’s face. “I will be with you for as long as you'll have me, Eds."

"I want you forever, Chee."

"Then forever it is."

Eddie wanted to kiss him. He wanted to kiss Richie. But for some reason, it didn’t feel right. He didn’t know why, but Eddie felt that it wasn’t right to kiss Richie then. He knew that it was true when he saw the relief in Richie’s face when he finally let go. Eddie tried not to think about it, convincing himself that Richie wanted their first kiss to be more private. When they turned back to their friends, the rest of the Losers plus Georgie did a pretty good job ignoring the intimate moment between the two of them. Mike quickly called for the waiter so they could order, and Beverly and Ben joined him in reading the menu. Eddie took a seat on Richie’s right while Stanley sat on Richie’s left. It was how they always sat. Eddie thought that Bill would take Stanley’s other side, but instead he saw his best friend took a seat next to Georgie, who was on Eddie’s left side. Eddie noticed the way Stanley stole glances at Bill, even as he fussed over Richie. Bill was obviously avoiding Stanley on purpose, pretending to be grilling Georgie on where he’d been and what he’d been doing. Eddie caught Georgie saying something about stopping a group of homophobic assholes from beating Adrian and his boyfriend up. He knew that Bill would probably come spilling everything to him on what Georgie said, so Eddie focus his attention on his other friends.

Naturally, he started with Richie, who was already looking at him with a smile on his face. Since they were children, Eddie always did everything he could to get Richie's attention on him. If he got a smile, that was a bonus because Richie rarely smiled. For someone so exuberant, he hated his smile with a passion. Something about his crooked, bucked teeth making him look like an ogre. But Eddie? He _loved_ Richie's smile. He loved it even more when he was the one who made that smile appear. So, it had been ingrained in Eddie's brain to get Richie to smile as often as possible. Twenty two years later, seeing Richie's smile, especially when it was directed at him, was still the most beautiful thing Eddie had ever seen in his life. With a smile of his own that was a little shy, Eddie took Richie's hand and pulled it to his lips for a kiss. The big, returning smile he received from Richie was even more breath-taking than before. He scooted closer toward Richie, who kept holding his hand in a way that made Eddie's own smile widen. He gave Richie's hand a gentle squeeze before he turned his attention on Stanley. The man was talking to Ben, telling each other about what they'd been doing in the past twenty years.

Eddie knew that Stanley was a successful accountant, and that Richie was one of his first and top clients. He also remembered reading from a magazine once that he was dating Richie's manager, Patty Blum. Despite doing a rather boring job, and living a relatively mundane life, Stanley was pretty popular, thanks to his friendship with Richie. When the news came out that he was dating Blum, Eddie remembered one of his female co-workers saying that it was all a ruse. Eddie himself didn't care about it, because he was so in love with Richie even then, that he secretly couldn't accept anyone to be dating the actor. But this time, for Bill's sake, Eddie planned on finding out whether Stanley was still dating Blum or not. The look on the accountant's face was priceless when Eddie asked him the question, and judging from Richie's chuckle, he knew that he wasn't the only one who noticed.

"Uh, why do you ask?" Stanley said tensely, his fingers twitching around the glass he was holding.

"Well, am I not allowed to know the love my best friend's life?" Eddie retorted. "We haven't seen each other in twenty two years, Stan. I think I have all the rights to know about an information such as this."

"Why don't you ask Ben then?"

"'Cause you're one of my oldest friends. No offense to Ben."

"None taken, Eddie."

"Besides," Richie interrupted, a mischievous smile on his face. "We all know of Ben's heroic rescue when he beat the shit out of Beverly's scumbag ex-husband for hitting our dearest Miss Marsh."

Ben's face flushed red as he took a quick sip of his wine. "I forgot your stylist's best friends with Bev," Ben muttered.

"Yeah, Kay's told me everything about 'Bev's hot architect'."

"Why are you all so fucking famous," Stanley drawled in mock-disdain.

"As if you weren't famous yourself, Stan," Eddie said. "Even I'm mature enough to admit I've been on magazines a few times because I know Bill and Audra."

"And you looked super cute, Eds," Richie said, winking. Eddie rolled his eyes even though he failed to hide his grin.

"Like you, Eddie, I'm only famous by association," Stanley said in defense. "Because unfortunately, I know this asshole right here."

"You like being friends with me, Stan. Admit it," Richie shot back. "Don't even pretend you didn't enjoy using my name around to get easy reservations for your date with Patty."

"Thank you for bringing us back to our initial topic, Rich," Eddie said, to which Richie replied with another wink. "Answer the question, Stan. Are you still dating Richie's manager?"

If looks could kill, both Eddie and Richie would definitely be dead from the withering glare Stanley gave them. "I'm not," the accountant gritted out his response. With a pout that was almost childish, Stanley continued. "We broke up five years ago, but we're still very good friends."

"So, you're single now?" Eddie asked. Just to make sure.

"Yes," Stanley sighed. "Why do you care?"

Eddie shrugged, but took his chance to wink at Bill, who he noticed had been listening. "Oh, nothing. I was just asking for a _friend_."

It seemed that Stanley noticed the interaction, because his eyes fluttered briefly in Bill's direction. He wasn't someone who blushed though, but Eddie could still tell that Stanley was embarrassed from the way he averted his gaze away from Bill. Their order was brought out shortly after that, fortunately for Stanley, and the conversation took a momentary pause as the waiters laid out all their order on the table. They picked up where they left off as soon as the waiters left, who where all giving Richie looks as they walked away. Eddie still could hardly believe it that his Richie had become one of the biggest and most respected actors in his time, even though Eddie himself had spent the past twenty years living with someone as famous as Bill and Audra. In fact, except for Mike, Eddie was well aware that everyone sitting on their table had been on a magazine at least twice. It was surprising that they all lived decent lives, considering that they'd forgotten each other the moment they set foot out of Derry. He could hear from where he was sitting, as Beverly talked to Mike, that she and Ben met just three years prior. Ben's firm had worked on the house Beverly and her ex, Tom Rogan, had lived in. From the day they met, they were immediately drawn to each other. They didn't remember their past, but they knew that they were right for one another.

They never did anything because Ben was much too gentlemanly to even consider an affair. Rogan, however, had noticed the ease in the way they interacted, and assumed the worst. He accused Beverly of cheating on him, and when she denied it, he started to beat her up. It was only five in the afternoon, which was when Ben often came to visit to discuss the house's progress with Rogan. The architect was ringing their doll bell when he heard Beverly's loud scream. He quickly jumped into action, kicked the door opened, and walked in on the scene of Rogan's fist landing hard on Beverly's face. Ben lost it. He tackled Rogan and started to beat him. He only stopped when because Beverly told him too, who had called the police as she pinched her bleeding nose. With Ben's help, Beverly pressed charges on Rogan on top of serving him with divorce papers. Eddie remembered seeing it reported on the TV a few years back. Although he hadn't remembered Beverly, he felt immensely proud of her when he watched the news. And when he heard that Beverly was in a relationship with Ben just a year later, he remembered thinking, "Finally."

A part of Eddie was incredibly envious that Ben and Beverly managed to end up together despite the fact that they'd forgotten each other. It was childish, he knew, but he would be lying if he said he didn't want that. The nights he'd spent at night wishing for someone to love, many times that specific someone bore a strong resemblance to a certain actor—Eddie lost count. He was happy for his friends, of course. But he wished that the same had happened to him and Richie. Unwilling to lose himself in his own dark thoughts, Eddie turned his focus back on Richie, who had his attention on Bill. The writer seemed hesitant on whatever it was he wanted to talk about, and his hesitation brought Stanley and Georgie's attention on him. Eddie noticed that there was an understanding look on Richie's face as he waited patiently for Bill to start talking.

"Little G-G-georgia," Bill finally said, his old stutter returning. He swallowed heavily then, taking a nervous glance at his brother, who gave him a supportive smile. Taking a deep breath, Bill continued. "Is she...is she real?"

Richie looked deeply sadden when he nodded. "She's real. The last time I saw her, she told me to send you her love."

Bill let out a choked sob as he pressed the heels of his palms to his eyes, his telltale movement when he was holding back his tears. Eddie saw that Richie himself had tears in his eyes, and he couldn't help but wondered who was this girl that the mere mention of her name brought the two men to tears. All around them, their friends had finally taken notice of the conversation between Bill and Richie, and they fell silent as they watched the two of them cried. The only ones who didn't look surprised were Stanley and Georgie, although both of them had identical sad looks on their faces. It was Ben who broke the silence first, worry filling his kind eyes.

"Who's Georgia?" the architect asked.

Richie's smile was both fond and sad as he said, "Mine and Bill's daughter."

And then Richie told them. He told them all about the horrible timeline he'd lived. He told them about the deal he made with Maturin the Turtle, Pennywise's nemesis. He told them about going back in time to fix everything, about the Loop he'd been stuck in over and over again until his body couldn't take it no more. The whole time Richie spoke, everyone listened quietly to him, eyes wide and teary. Once in a while, Stanley and Georgie would throw in a comment or two to add into Richie's story. And once again, Eddie felt immensely envious of his friends' lives. Especially toward Georgie, who had never said anything about what Richie had told him, despite having been in Eddie's life the whole time. Eddie knew that it wasn't Georgie's fault, or even Stanley's, that Maturin chose them to be the one in Richie's life for the past twenty-two years. But Eddie was only human, and not a particularly nice one. He couldn't help but to wonder what it was about him that the universe didn't think was good enough for Richie.

As if he knew what was plaguing Eddie's mind, Richie immediately turned to him. "Maturin never says anything about it, but I think she knows that my incentive for doing all this is you, Eds. It's always been you. She knows that if you were the one by my side, I would be distracted. She knows that I would sacrifice the whole world for you. And that would be counter productive, wouldn't it. So, no, it's not because you're not good enough for me. It's because you're _too good_ for me."

"Fuck you, Chee," Eddie whispered, his tears already falling without him realising it. He sucked in his breath harshly, willing himself to stop crying. "Don't you understand what this means? By saving me, and Stanley, and Georgie, you're going to die. And then what? You're going to _leave_ me again? What about your fucking promise, you asshole?"

Richie looked pained when he reached forward to gently cup Eddie's face. "Eddie, you know I would never leave you unless I have to. The last thing I want is to lose you because I love you. But the thing is, Eds, I _have_ lost you. For me, you died in my arms almost three hundred years ago. I lost every single one of you two centuries ago, but your death affected me the worst. So, if I have to die to save you, Eds, I'm fine with that. That's a sacrifice I'm ready to make."

"But, _I'm_ not," Eddie cried. "I'm not ready to lose you yet. I will _never_ be ready to lose you. Dammit, Chee. Don't you get it? I love you too, you self-sacrificing idiot!"

There was a loud crack coming from the pile of fortune cookies that followed the end of Eddie's proclamation of love. The silence was ironically loud as they stared at the fortune cookies. Eddie heard Richie muttered a string of curses when seven fortune cookies started to crack open, and the tiny pieces of paper inside them began to unravel. Eddie saw the one-word written on them, but he couldn't read them because they were all moving on their own to form a sentence.

**_Good to be back isn’t it Trashmouth_ **

"What the actual _fuck_ —“

The rest of the fortune cookies exploded, revealing grotesque monsters before they attacked all of the Losers and Georgie. Eddie was barely quick enough when he jumped off his seat, the small creatures missing his face only by an inch. He heard Richie's voice calling out his name, and saw the man, even in his weakened state, tried to dive straight toward Eddie's side. Georgie beat him to it though, somehow bypassing Eddie to get to Richie, pushing the actor behind himself to shield him from the little monsters. Stanley, on the other hand, was the one by Eddie's side, always the one who took Richie's place whenever Eddie needed help. From over Stanley's shoulder, Eddie saw the rest of the Losers tried to fight off the monsters, slapping them away whenever they got too close. Ben and Beverly were curled toward one another, while Bill and Mike worked together to fight off the monsters coming in their way. Eddie could feel his heart thundered against his ribs, especially when those monsters began to head toward him and Stanley. Closing his eyes tight, he pressed his face against Stanley's back and waited for the inevitable.

_"STOP IT!"_

Complete silence followed Richie's yell. Opening one eye, Eddie lifted his face a little bit, finding those monsters hovering in the air, turned toward where Richie was standing with Georgie. The young blond was tense as fear coloured his face, but he stubbornly stood his ground to protect Richie. Who gently pushed him aside and took a step forward. Beverly, the brave lioness that she was, started to move toward Richie, despite the fear in her eyes. Ben stopped her though, wrapping a hand around her waist, his eyes watching Richie closely like the rest of them. They all watched with baited breath as the actor took another step forward, his whole composure oddly calm.

"You're a fucking joke, Pussywide," Richie said coolly. "And I'm done playing your stupid games. So fucking _fuck off_."

And the monsters disappeared.

None of the Losers cared about it. All of their attention set solely on Richie, who was swaying on his feet. Being the closest, Georgie was the one who caught Richie before he fell flat on his face. Eddie was the next one who got to Richie, kneeling right beside the younger Denbrough. Together, the two of them fought to keep a struggling Richie to lie down. The actor might be losing a lot of weight, but he was still much taller than either Eddie or Georgie. And true to his stubborn nature, Richie stubbornly fought against Eddie when the pharmacist tried to check his condition. He kept on saying that he was fine, despite the fact that looked close to passing out. Eddie knew that was bullshit. Richie’s temperature was dropping even lower than before, and Eddie couldn’t tell whether the actor was shivering from the cold or the lack of strength. Eddie remembered that there was a time when they were children that Richie ran hot like a fucking furnace, and was strong enough to pull Bowers off Eddie even though the maniac was like twice his size. It was such a contrast to the man Eddie had lying in his lap. The realisation was almost enough to send Eddie into a panic attack, and it was only because Georgie was trying to get his attention that the Eddie didn’t lose his control.

“…are you listening, Eddie? Eddie. Eddie!” Georgie said, clicking his fingers into front of his face. “Eddie, I need you to focus on me for a sec.”

“What is it?” Eddie couldn’t help but to snap at the blond. “In case you didn’t notice, I’m trying to save Richie’s life—“

“There’s only one way to help, Richie,” the blond said quickly, effectively shutting Eddie up. “And you need to do as I say. Don’t question it. Just fucking do it. Okay?”

“Alright,” Eddie agreed. He took a couple deep breaths to calm himself, unconsciously pulling Richie closer to him as if he was a giant teddy bear. “What do I have to do?”

“Hold him,” Georgie said curtly as he wrapped Eddie’s arms tighter around Richie. “Remember that time when we were kids and I held him to get him out his trance? It’s quite similar. Except this time, he needs three of us.”

“ _Three?_ ” Eddie asked, even as he buried his face into the crook of Richie's neck. At that point, he was practically clinging onto Richie like a koala.

Georgie nodded and blindly reached back for Stanley, whose eyes widened when he was suddenly tugged forward. “Yeah, with Stanny. We were the ones whose lives he changed. So we need to give him a bit of _our_ lives to keep him with us. Come on, Stan. Put your hand on top of Eddie’s.”

“Uh, sure,” Stanley said awkwardly, lowering himself on Eddie’s other side.

Eddie was skeptical at first because, even though his life had always been filled with supernatural occurences, there wasn’t even a magical explanation to support Georgie’s theory that he could come up with. But the moment Stanley and Georgie put their hands on top of his own that was placed on the spot where Richie’s heart was, Eddie could feel it. It was faint, but he didn’t doubt that there was some sort energy transference going on. He watched in fascination as a bit of colour started to return to Richie’s pale skin, and the slightest warmth began to radiate from Richie. He was half-listening to Georgie’s explanation about how there was a familiar nudge that told him what to do, but all Eddie could do was focus on Richie. The actor was looking right back at Eddie, and there was just so much love in his light blue eyes, it brought Eddie to tears. He still couldn’t believe that _his_ Richie had been through so much for him. And he’d done it _alone._

“Please don’t cry, Eds,” Richie said, one shaky hand reaching forward to wipe Eddie’s tears away. “I’ll be fine. And this will all be over soon.”

Eddie sucked in his breath harshly and pressed a kiss onto Richie’s hand. “I love you, Chee. I really do love you. So, do me a favour and keep your promise, okay?”

“I love you too, Eds,” Richie said softly. “Two hundred and sixty five years, and you’re still the love of my life. Always.”

Eddie couldn’t help but to notice that Richie never said anything about keeping his promise.

“You’re feeling better, Rich?” Georgie asked, just before Eddie could talk to Richie about it.

“Yeah,” Richie said. He took a deep breath and gave his hand to Stanley. “Help me up, Birdboy. We have a clown to kill.”

In unison, the seven of them reacted negatively.

“ _What?_ ” Georgie yelped, looking incredulously at the actor.

“Are you fucking _insane?_ ” Eddie all but yelled.

“Rich, you almost _died,_ you lunatic,” Stanley drawled out.

“We _are_ killing Pennywise tonight, but you’re not coming,” Bill insisted.

“I’m sorry, but I have to agree with Eddie,” Ben said.

“I will fucking tie you to your bed back at the Town House, Rich,” Beverly threatened.

“We can do it tomorrow, Rich. It’s okay,” Mike added helpfully.

But of course, dying or not, Richie was just as stubborn as he always was. Glaring resolutely at every single one of them, he pushed himself onto his feet with what Eddie figured was pure stubbornness alone. Richie was a little shaky when he finally got onto his feet, but the daring look in his blue eyes told Eddie that if any of them tried to stop him, Richie would do something even crazier.

“ _Fine!_ ” Eddie screamed as he pushed his face right in front of Richie. “Fine! We’re fucking killing the clown tonight. But mark my words, Tozier; if you die down there, I’m going to bring you back to life so I can kill you myself.”

The asshole actually had the gall to fucking _laugh_ at Eddie. “I’m afraid you’ll have to fight Stanley and Georgie for that honour, buddy,” Richie said, sending a wink at a scowling Georgie and a pissed off Stanley.

“I don’t care,” Eddie snapped, even as he wrapped his arm around Richie to help him walk. “I get first dibs to kill you if you die.”

“So, what are we going to do now?” Ben asked once they were all waiting by their respective cars. There was a bit of dispute on who would be paying the dinner, and in the end they all grudgingly agreed that as two of the most successful between them, Richie and Bill would split the bill.

“We go to Neibolt,” Richie said. “And into Its lair, which is below the sewer where we last fought It. We lured It out, and let me deal with the rest. Also, we don’t need to do any kind of rituals, Mikey,” Richie added to Mike, who looked surprised and confused.

“You _know_ about the Ritual?” Mike asked.

Richie gave an ironic grin and nodded. “Time traveler, remember? But before that, Georgie; have you made sure Adrian’s out of here? Is he okay?”

“Apart from being a little traumatised that a group of homophobes attacked him and Don before I appeared seemingly out of the blue and nearly ran those fuckers off with my car, I think he’s alright,” Georgie said. “He’s gone to Florida, with Don. They’re probably already at home with Laura now. They’re staying for a week, see. Because the both of them saw Pennywise. And Adrian insisted I explained to him everything.”

“Well, that would be fun,” Richie remarked dryly.

“How much does Laura know, by the way?” Stanley butted in. “Because I get the feeling that she knows quite a lot.”

“She knows everything,” Georgie admitted. “Hard to hide the most traumatic part of my life when I keep on dreaming about that shit with her sleeping beside me. I had no choice but to tell her after the many times I cried in my sleep from the nightmares. Then there was the time when I had to fly out to California to see Richie, the first time you relapsed. I hadn’t told her then about us knowing each other, but then she saw our pictures taken, and she remembered that one time I called your name in my sleep. So, yeah. I tried to lie to her, but she threatened to break up with me. I still can’t believe that she didn’t call me insane after everything I told her, to be honest.”

“ _I_ can’t believe you dreamed of me, kiddo,” Richie quipped cheekily, causing Georgie to flip him off.

“That’s enough, you two,” Stanley said with a roll of his eyes. “Let’s focus on the plan now. Rich, are you going to tell us what you’re going to do once we’ve lured It out?”

“I’m going to kill that fucking clown, of course,” Richie said matter-of-factly, as if that was the most obvious thing to do in the world.

“Yeah, but _how,_ doofus?” Eddie retorted. “If you’re even _thinking_ of sacrificing yourself to do the job, better cross that from your plan.”

“You know what, that’s actually the plan.”

_“Richie!”_ seven people yelled out.

“Alright, alright. I was just joking,” Richie quickly said. “Jesus, fuck, you guys need to chill a bit.”

“I swear to God, Rich, if you don’t quit it with the jokes, I’m going to hit you,” Bill said impatiently.

“You can’t you hit me, Bill. You don’t hit a guy with a glasses. That's just unethical."

“I’m warning you, Rich.”

“Let’s just go to Neibolt,” Eddie said quickly before either idiots could start fighting, for once playing the mediator. “I’ll wring the details out of him on the way there. Come on, Rich.”

Eddie helped Richie to get into _his_ car, ignoring the way three specific pairs of eyes were looking at him. He did catch Georgie giving him a wink before he got into his own car, and Eddie knew that the blond and himself were on the same page. Bill and Stanley would just have to deal with being the grown up they always claimed to be, and went to Neibolt together in _Stanley’s_ car because Eddie would like some alone time with Richie, thank you very much. If the two of them realised his plan, it was all to late because Eddie had started the engine of his car and was already pulling out from the parking out. He maneuvered his car to get behind Ben’s, who had gone with Mike and Beverly and was taking the lead. From the rear view mirror, Eddie could see Georgie was right behind him, and that Ben and Stanley were pulling up the rear. It kind of felt surreal to him, that he was back in Derry after almost thirty years, and he couldn’t help but to feel as if he was a teenager again. Only back then, they were all riding bikes instead of cars. At least there was one thing that stayed the same. Once again, they were all coming back to Neibolt to fight off the stupid clown.

It took them ten minutes to get to Neibolt, and it was already nine o’clock by the time they parked in front of that creepy old house. Ben, Mike and Beverly were already waiting for them by the house’s crumbling foyer. Eddie and Richie were the second who to get there, followed closely just a minute later by Bill and Stanley, who somehow managed to arrive before Georgie did. Judging from the pleased smile on Bill’s face, it was clear that he still liked to go fast, be it on his car or his bike. Stanley was fighting back a smile when he got out of the car, and Eddie suspected that they’d cleared things up between them. As the last one who got there, Georgie had a bit of a pout on his face, and for a moment, Eddie could almost see the little boy he was back when the younger Denbrough was only eight years old. With his own smile on his face, Eddie immediately got out of his car and went to Richie’s side to help him. The actor muttered a quick thanks and allowed Eddie to lead him toward his friend. Eddie noticed the way Richie half-slumped over him, but wisely kept quiet about it.

“Stick close to each other guys,” Richie said before they got into the house. “If we split up, it’ll be easier for the clown to break us.”

“We should hold hands then,” Georgie suggested helpfully. “And never let go.”

“Easier said than done,” Stanley grumbled a while later when they had to squeeze against each other to get into the basement through the tiny door. “ _God, why are some of us so big.”_

“That’s rich, coming from you,” Beverly retorted. “Your arms alone are the size of my head. What do you need arms that big for, anyway? I thought you're an accountant, Stan.”

“Shut up. My arms are nowhere as big as your boyfriend’s, Marsh. Just look at him. He’s built like Thor, for fuck's sake."

“You’re just jealous _your_ boyfriend is adorably pocket-sized, Uris.”

“ _Excuse me?”_ Bill yelped.

Eddie didn’t even get to laugh at the highly offended look on Bill’s face. His head was only half-turned in the author’s direction, ready to throw in his own insult, when a giant tentacle came out of nowhere and went to wrap around Richie’s waist. Before he could fully process what had happened, Richie was jerked away from him, his hands slipping away from Eddie and Stanley’s grips. In unison, they all screamed out the actor’s name, who was being dragged roughly into the well. Eddie didn’t realise it when he dove in after Richie, climbing down the well by the rope that hung precariously off it. He didn’t even think about the possibility that the rope would have broken under his weight, or the fact that he was submerged up to his chest in grey water not long after that. All he could think of was that he _had_ to get to Richie—that he couldn’t afford losing him again. When he finally got into Its lair, his eyes quickly rounded on where Richie was hovering off the ground, Its tentacles wrapped around him.

“ _Richie_!” Georgie yelled, and only then did Eddie notice that the young professor was standing right beside him, while Stanley took his other side.

“Well, well, well,” Its drawled, a malicious grin on Its face as It towered over them in Its gigantic form. “Looks like Richie’s hardwork has finally paid off. We have two new players with us now.”

“Let him go, you fucker!” Eddie shouted. “Let him go and we might consider not to hurt you too bad.”

Pennywise snapped forward so fast, Its white face was suddenly already right in front of Eddie’s. “Is that so, _Eds?_ ” It hissed out, spit the size of a golf-ball getting all over the place. “Are you and your friends going to… _hurt_ me? What if I told you that if I die, Richie’s going to die with me too?”

“I don’t believe you,” Eddie said bravely, because _he_ had to. There was no way he could believe in a possibility that Richie wouldn’t walk out from all of this with him. “I believe in Richie. And he said that we’re going to end you, _bitch._ ”

The clown roared then as It stumbled backward, as if Eddie’s words had physically hurt It. Throwing a murderous look at Eddie, It turned Its attention to Stanley. “What about you, Stan the Man? You know you have a lot more to lose if Richie dies. Do you think dearest Maggie and Went would still accept you if they find out you’ve let their beloved son die?”

Stanley was trembling from top to toe, but there was a strong determination in his hazel eyes when he glared right back at Pennywise. “Like Eddie said, I believe in Richie. Whatever happens, I know that in the end of day, Richie’s right. We’re _all_ going to walk out of here alive, and you’re going to die.”

“ _I won’t! I won’t! I won’t!”_ It shrieked loudly, swinging Its tentacles around and knocking chunks of big rocks from the cave’s walls. “I am the Eater of Worlds! I am Fear! I am _Death!_ You can’t kill me, you insolent brats!”

“You’re weakening already,” Billy quipped in, stepping forward to stand in front of Stanley. “I can tell; you’re _terrified._ Because deep down, you know that you’re just a fucking clown, and we’re so much stronger than you.”

“ _NO!”_ It once again shrieked. It brought forward the tentacle that was holding Richie, and Eddie couldn’t help but to scream along with Richie when the tentacle squeezed harder. It cackled madly upon seeing Eddie’s reaction. “See? You don’t stand a chance against me. I can kill Richie, your so-called _saviour_ , without even batting an eye—and none of you can do anything about it. There’s only one being in this universe who can defeat me, and she’s _never_ going to come help you.”

“But that’s where you’re wrong,” Richie said softly. But his voice sounded loud and clear, enough to shut the clown up. “Maturin _is_ here already.”

Narrowing Its eyes at Richie, It said, “What do you mean—“

“She’s here, and she’s taking you back with her.”

None of the Losers, except for Richie himself, understood what it meant. Pennywise though, It understood perfectly. Eyes widening in fear, It threw Richie across the room and tried to get into a hole that Eddie had only just noticed. But suddenly, there was a bright light blocking Its way, and an inhumanly loud scream coming from the monster nearly brought the cave down when the light started to surround Pennywise. The light was getting brighter and bigger as it covered Pennywise completely, the Losers were forced to look away lest their eyes would go blind. Not Eddie, though. He didn’t give a damn about anything but Richie at the moment. While his friends were screaming in wonder about what was happening, Eddie had his hands covering his face to shield the light, and took off running toward Richie, who was slumped worryingly still on the ground after he hit the cave’s wall hard.

“Richie!” Eddie shouted desperately as he gently but urgently tapped Richie’s face to wake him up. “Hey, Rich? Richie, wake up. We did it, look! We defeated It!”

The five seconds Richie took to open his eyes felt like centuries to Eddie. It was a slow progress, with Richie looking a little dazed at first as he blinked his eyes a couple times to focus them. But then a smile started to pull on his lips, and it was simply the most beautiful thing Eddie had ever seen. “Hey there, Eds,” Richie said softly. “Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.”

Eddie snorted a laugh, and slumped over Richie’s chest. “Fuck you, man,” he said, his heart fluttering in his chest when he felt Richie’s hand stroking his back. He buried himself deeper against the actor’s chest, for the first time after two decades feeling at peace despite the situation. “Don’t ever scare me like that again, Chee,” Eddie said. “I mean it. I don’t think I can handle it if I lose you again.”

“You won’t,” Richie said. He pulled Eddie’s face up by his chin so they could look at each other. “I made you a promise, didn’t I? I told you I’m staying with you, forever if you’ll have me. And I intend to keep that promise.”

This was it. Eddie knew that this was finally the moment. It was the right time to finally kiss Richie. Like he’d always wanted to since he was a kid. He craned his neck closer toward Richie, allowing the actor to tilt his head back to get a better angle. Their lips were only a millimetre apart, and Eddie could feel Richie’s breath against his lips, and—

“We need to get out of here, lovebirds!” Stanley yelled, appearing out of nowhere behind Eddie to pull him off Richie. “The whole place is falling apart. We have to go _now!_ ”

“You can kiss all you want once we’re out of here,” Bill added, lifting Richie onto his feet with Georgie’s help. He looked at Richie up and down before saying, “You good, man?”

“Yeah,” Richie said with a nod, and if the grin he gave Bill was too wide, none of them said anything about it. “Come on, Big Bill. Lead us all out of here.”

The eight of them made a mad dash out of the cave as fast as they could. But it was apparent that Richie had lost all the strength he’d gotten from Georgie, Eddie and Stanley back in the Jade Orient. It didn’t take long before his legs buckled on him, and he nearly brought Bill and Georgie down with him. Fortunately, Mike and Ben, as the two largest in the group, were right there beside them, ready to help. Richie ended up clinging onto Mike’s back, with Ben’s belt tying the two of them to avoid Richie suddenly losing his grip. Together, the two of them climbed up the well first, with Eddie following right behind them. Mike didn’t even waste a second to take a breather once he’d reached Neibolt’s basement. He merely shifted Richie into a safer position on his back, and took off as fast as he could out of the house. All of them got out right on time just before the house sunk into the ground, with Ben bringing up the rear. Mike collapsed onto the ground then, with Richie on top of him. Eddie quickly took off the belt from the both of them, knowing that despite the lost of weight, Richie's six-foot-something build couldn’t be _that_ light.

But when Eddie pulled Richie off Mike and into his arms, he felt his heart stuttering in his chest when he noticed that Richie was unconscious. Blood was rolling down the wound from Richie’s head, no doubt from when Pennywise threw him across the cave. “Guys!” Eddie urgently yelled as he checked Richie’s wound, attracting his friends’ attention him. “Guys, we need to take Richie to a hospital. His head his bleeding, and he's unconscious now.”

As if there was a switch, Richie suddenly opened his eyes in alarm and started to shake his head weakly. “No, no, no… Don’t take me to the hospital. At least…at least not the one here.”

“Richie, you need to get your head checked by a doctor,” Eddie tried to tell him. But Richie proved to be as stubborn as he always was.

“Y-you don’t understand, Eds. I _have_ to get out of here.” His breathing was laboured now as he tried to sit up. “I…I have to leave Derry _right now._ O-or I will be stuck here forever.”

“Alright, alright,” Stanley said before Eddie could say anything. “We’ll take you to a hospital in Bangor. Is that okay, Rich?”

The actor nodded slowly, calming down. “Okay... Bangor’s good. Just not Derry. Anywhere but Derry’s good.”

“Let’s go then,” Bill said, already pulling out Stanley's car keys from his pocket. “I can get us there the fastest. Come on, Eddie. Help me get Richie into the car.”

Before Eddie could even move, Georgie and Stanley had moved Richie off him and into the car. They placed Richie in the backseat, and Eddie quickly slid right beside him. He briefly registered Mike telling Bill the closest hospital in Bangor they could find, and he repeated the name in his head as if it would get them there faster. Eddie thought he heard someone called his name, but Bill chose that moment to start the engine and didn’t waste a single second before he took off. True to his words, Bill drove way above the speed limit, and they were out of Derry in no time. Eddie was looking at the window, watching the trees blurred passed him, when he felt Richie’s head bumped against his. He turned toward the actor to check his condition, and flinched when he felt how cold Richie’s skin was. Eddie couldn't help it when he thought of the good old days when Richie's warmth would settle down his frantic nerves. It was why Eddie always sought out to cuddle with his best friend. Holding Richie’s hand now, running his thumb gently over Richie’s pulse, Eddie wondered when everything would finally turn out for the better for all of them.

“Richie,” Eddie whispered timidly, reaching toward the actor to hold his face. “Richie, you’re cold.”

Richie, whose skin was now so pale it was practically grey, looked at Eddie blankly for a split second, as if he couldn’t understand what Eddie was saying. “Huh,” the actor muttered, swaying toward Eddie until he was completely leaning his forehead against Eddie’s. “Cold, is it? Well…don’t worry, Eds. Don’t worry ‘bout it. I’ll be...I'll be fine.”

Every single part of his being told Eddie that something was wrong. That Richie was definitely _not_ okay. But Eddie didn’t want to believe that. Because, if he did, he knew what would happen. So, against his better judgement, Eddie pressed a quick kiss onto Richie’s head, and brought him to lean on his shoulder. “Okay then,” he said, his voice was still a mere whisper as he nodded to himself, intending the gesture more for his own reassurance. “Right. You’ll be fine. We’re taking you the hospital now. In Bangor. Just…just hold on a little longer, okay? A-and then this all will be over soon, and…and we can be together. Spend the rest of our lives together.”

The smile on Richie’s face was absolutely breath-taking, and Eddie thought it was cruel that he’d only ever seen that smile so very rarely.

“W-eould love to, Eds, my love,” Richie said softly as he buried his face against Eddie’s neck. “After…after almost three hundred years, I can finally...have my h-happy ending.”

And Richie disappeared.

Eddie thought he was imagining it at first. He thought he was only imagining the lack of Richie’s weight against him, the sudden absence of Richie’s cold hand in his own. But when he fully turned toward where Richie was just a second ago, and found no one there but himself, he knew that it _hadn’t_ been his imagination. Somehow, Richie was gone. He’d left Eddie again.

_("Forever.")_

“ _Eddie, what the fuck are you doing?”_ Bill shouted at him, shock and horror colouring his voice.

Because Eddie had jumped out of he car, landing roughly against the hard pavement. He was sure that he’d at least broken his arm and leg, and the hot liquid running down his face could only be his blood. But Eddie didn’t care. _Richie was gone._ And Eddie had to find him. He had to. He had to find Richie, because he couldn’t bare to lose him. _Not again._ He didn’t realise that Bill had pulled into a stop as well, and was calling out his name to get him to stop. He didn’t even realise the pain that was wrecking his body. All he cared about was to find Richie. Twenty two years he’d missed him. There was no way Eddie was going to let him go again. Wherever Richie was going, Eddie was coming with him.

“RICHIE!” Eddie screamed, running off aimlessly. He didn’t know where he had to go, he just _ran._ “RICHIE! RICHIE, WHERE ARE YOU?”

“EDDIE!” he heard Bill called after him, but Eddie wasn’t listening. He just kept running.

“RICHIE, COME BACK! COME BACK, RICHIE, _PLEASE! YOU PROMISED! YOU FUCKING PROMISED!”_

Someone tackled him to the ground, and Eddie fought hard to break away. He kicked, he punched, he _screamed._ He screamed for Richie, who was still nowhere to be found. He felt more hands trying to hold him down, holding his arms and legs. And Eddie fought harder. He was full out crying now, didn’t even realise until much later that it was Bill’s arms that were wrapped around him, that it was Stanley’s hands that were holding his feet. He could hear both of them asking him what had happened, where did Richie go. And Eddie tried to explain. Tried to tell them what had happened. Tried to tell them to let him go so he could find Richie. Because Richie always kept his promises to him. And he promised Eddie that he would stay with him. _Forever._

“Let me go, please,” Eddie begged tearfully. “Bill? Stan? _Please,_ let me go. I need to find him. I need to find Richie. I can’t— I’m going to _die_ without him. I need him. I need him. _I need him._ Richie. Richie, where are you? Come back, Richie. Come back. You promised. _Y-you promised…_ ”

Then everything went dark.


	4. Bill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello, guys! We're finally here! At the end of this story. Wow, I must say, this is my favourite It story that I have written so far. It's been such a great time writing it. I really enjoyed it. I hope you guys like it too :D This chapter is much shorter than the previous ones, because like dearest Big Bill, I don't know how to end a story :P I hope it doesn't suck though, because I worked pretty hard writing it huehue ;) We still have one more chapter before this actual ending of this story---the epilogue. But I would love to hear about what you think of the story so far :) Anyway, I should let you go now, so you guys can read my story.
> 
> Thanks for reading my story and sticking around until the end, guys. I really appreciate it :D

_A month. That was how long it had been since the day the young doctor nearly lost the love of his life. If his boyfriend’s future brother-in-law hadn’t come, there was no doubt in the doctor’s mind that his boyfriend would have died. Not only because of the beating he’d taken from those homophobic assholes, but also because of that creepy clown monster. Fuck, what_ was _that? He’d almost chalked it up to his imagination, but apparently, his boyfriend had seen it. The bright orange hair, the pasty white face, the filthy clown get-up. It was terrifying. Unfortunately, his boyfriend’s future-brother-in-law refused to tell them anything, saying that he had a lot to deal with. It was only after their relentless nagging that he’d finally agreed to tell them, but only after he was done with whatever business he had to deal with in Derry. And that was only after they’d promised that they’d stay in Florida with his boyfriend’s sister. The young doctor and his boyfriend didn’t even get to pack their things back at the Town House. The older man had driven them all the way to the airport, told them he’d brought their things with him, and insisted they took the first flight out to Florida. Then he just left._

_And only came back two weeks later, looking like he’d aged ten years._

_A loud rustling from the bushes brought him out of his reverie, and the doctor turned his attention toward the sound. Automatically, his hand went to grab for the nearest object he could find to be used as a weapon, which was an umbrella. It wasn’t much, he knew. But_ at least _he had something. Trying to push back thoughts of creepy clowns, he made his way toward the bushes. He was expecting to find all sorts of thing there. A cat, a dog, a rat, a racoon. Hell, even that fucking_ clown _.The last thing he expected to find was a man in his early forties, lying unconscious in his backyard. At first, he didn’t immediately recognise who the man was. But when he leaned forward to get a better look, he_ knew. _It had been a month and this man was still listed as a missing person, his face still appearing on the TV every once in a while. But even if the doctor didn’t watch TV, or didn’t have any form of social media, he would know this man. He did know him really well._

_After all, there was no mistaking that dorky-framed glasses._

_“Adrian!” Don Haggarty shouted for his boyfriend. “Adrian, come here, quick!”_

_“What is it?” Adrian Mellon replied, running out to meet Don not even a minute later. “Are you okay? Is something wrong— Jesus,_ fuck. _Is that…?”_

_“I think so,” Don said. “Should we call your brother-in-law?”_

_Adrian bit his lip, taking a while to consider his boyfriend’s question before he shook his head. “No. We need to make sure that this is really_ him. _Better yet, we have to make sure that he’s sticking around permanently. I can’t give Georgie false hopes.”_

_“Yeah, I suppose you’re right,” Don agreed grimly, remembering the way the marine-biology professor had broken down in his fiancée’s arms the moment he came home. “Well, help me carry him into the house then.”_

_And together, the two of them brought the super famous and currently missing Richie Tozier into their humble abode._

* * *

Bill wished he had noticed it first.

Maybe then everything would have gone differently if he had.

It was his fault that all of this happened. Georgie was _his_ brother, yet Bill dragged his friends along with him into that fucking sewer. And he remembered how it all happened—in _both_ timelines. As his childhood memories started to come back to him even more after they defeated Pennywise for good, Bill’s memories of that other life came too. He remembered a life when Georgie died, a life when he was too much of a coward to tell Stanley he loved him, a life he spent almost three decades carrying the guilt of his brother’s death, a life he built together with his best friend after they both lost the love of their lives. A life when everything went horribly _wrong_ for Bill and Richie. That was why he simply had no excuse for what he’d done, especially in _this_ timeline where Georgie was alive and well, and he’d finally told Stanley his love for him. There was no excuse for Bill not to notice that something was _seriously_ wrong with Richie. True, he did notice that Richie was sick, but with the fact that Georgie had to get used to a life without a complete set of arms, Bill always resorted to telling himself that Richie was fine. That Richie _would_ be fine. After all, Richie always took care of them, so nothing could be wrong with him.

What no one really seemed to notice, even though Bill was the one his friends chose to be their leader, it was always Richie that Bill relied on to when things got too difficult. Since the day they met, Richie had always been the first one to have his back. Richie was the one who rescued Georgie, Richie was the one who convinced him that his parents didn’t blame him for Georgie’s accident, Richie was the one who encouraged him to be honest to Stanley about his feelings. It was _always_ Richie. So, his childish mind at only thirteen then fifteen then eighteen just couldn’t cope with the fact that something was wrong with Richie. Because, if Richie was truly that ill, Bill would have to accept the fact that one day, there would be a time when Bill _couldn’t_ rely on Richie again. That one day, people would finally realise that Bill _wasn’t_ really the strong leader they all looked up to. Bill had only ever admitted it to his brother, but the day he had gone to New York with Eddie, leaving Stanley behind with Richie, he couldn’t help but to feel resentful. No, he didn’t resent Richie for being the one to leave to Stanford with Stanley. He resented Richie for _not_ insisting that they, all four of them, should be together. _Always._

_(“Why, hello there, Bill, short for Billiam. My name’s Richie and this one’s Stanley, and we’re gonna be best buds forever. You’re stuck with us now, Denbrough_. _”)_

It was completely juvenile of him to think so, of course, and that was why Bill was even more convinced that he really was to blame for all that had happened to them. It was obvious that everything terrible in his and his friends’ lives was his fault, and that was why he could never, _ever_ forgive himself.

It should be him. And yet, it was Richie who had to bear it all alone.

_(“Promise me, Bill. You have to let me go first. I can’t… If you’re gone, it will_ destroy _me. And who’s going to take care of our darling Georgia then?”)_

The thing about being the last survivor in two timelines was that he was the only one who remembered everything. He couldn’t talk to anyone about it, and Bill had to bear everything alone. It had only been a year for him since he defeated Pennywise, but seeing that he’d done it twice, it felt a lot longer. He truly couldn’t imagine being Richie, who lived everything over and over and _over again_ until it almost killed him. It made him feel even guiltier, and so _alone._ Georgie tried to help. Georgie, one of the two people he loved the most in the world, who stayed in New York for Bill even though he had his own problems to deal with back in Florida. But Georgie hadn’t been there the first time around. He’d been killed by Pennywise when he was only eight years old. Stanley tried to help too. Stanley, who had come to live with him to New York because he couldn’t stand living in the house he shared with Richie. He tried asking how Bill was doing, holding him tightly when Bill was woken up to a nightmare of a life he both lived and didn’t live. But Stanley too, wasn’t there. Neither Georgie nor Stanley, no matter how much they loved Bill and wanted to help him, _could._

That was when Audra and Patty came along. Or rather, came _back_ to his life. The moment he returned to New York after Derry, with Stanley and Georgie, his ex-wife called him. She was tearful, telling him that she remembered all these things about a life they had together, of people she was sure she had never met, and she _begged_ him to tell her that she wasn’t losing her mind. So, Bill invited her to come to his house, promising her that he would explain everything. When she came ringing his doorbell two days later, flying in from Paris where she’d been filming her latest movie, Audra didn’t come alone. She brought Patty with her, whom she'd met at the airport. It was instant, how they immediately recognised one another. Bill ended up holding an emergency Losers meeting, and invited all of his friends to come to his house so they could discuss about it. Ben and Beverly were the first ones to respond, and were also the first ones to come. Then it was Mike, who attracted Patty’s attention the moment he stepped into Bill’s house. The only one who didn’t come was Eddie, and Bill felt like such an awful friend for not noticing until it was hours later, when he’d gotten a call from a hospital.

_(“Hello? Is this William Denbrough?”)_

It was eerily similar to that call Bill got in that other life, except it was Richie then.

_(“Yes, that’s me. Who is this?”)_

After they treated Eddie for his broken bones and his wounded head from jumping out of a moving car, Eddie didn’t come home to New York with Bill. He offered—no, _insisted_ that he was going to fly to Georgia to meet with the Toziers and tell them the horrible news. There was a voice in the back of Bill’s mind then, which sounded a lot like Richie’s, that told him he should have said no. That he shouldn’t have left Eddie alone. But he saw the look in his best friend’s eyes, saw how determined he was, and Bill knew that if he told him no, Eddie would have done something even worse. Thus, against his better judgement, against _everything_ his friends said, Bill agreed. He drove Eddie to the airport, bought the first ticket they could get to Georgia, and waited with him until it was time for Eddie’s flight. Bill only left after he saw Eddie limped through the Departure gate, Richie’s duffel bag slumped over his shoulder that was without a broken arm. The author then got into his car and went back to meet up with Stanley and Georgie before they could go back to New York, the whole time his mind was set on Eddie until he got the call from Audra.

He really shouldn’t have left Eddie alone in that airport.

_(Drunk. Car crash. **Eddie**.)_

If Bill was to be honest, he wasn’t even surprised to have gotten the call. It was like he’d always known that Eddie never got on the plane to Georgia, and instead went to a bar to get shit-faced before taking a drive in his intoxication state all the way back to New York. When he told his friends and family about what had happened, he noticed the terror in Audra and Patty’s eyes, and he knew that they were having flashbacks to the life when Richie tried to kill himself. Because everything was almost the same, with the only difference it was Eddie instead of Richie. Although, the twisted part of Bill’s mind couldn’t help but to notice that it only took Eddie _two days_ to break while it took Richie a year. Bill kept that thought to himself though, and waited for Stanley and Georgie to get into his car before he took off to the hospital, taking the lead with the rest of his friends behind him. When they all got into the hospital, the doctor who took care of Eddie told them that Eddie was relatively unharmed, save for a mild concussion and the broken bones that he’d broken already in Derry. It was different than that time with Richie, who was in a such critical condition that he went into a coma for a month.

Bill and Stanley were the first ones allowed to see Eddie in his room. That was when the author noticed another difference in Eddie’s situation compared to Richie’s. In that other life, when Richie finally woke up from his coma, he went into hysterics. He screamed and yelled and shouted, twisting and kicking in his bed, cursing everyone in that room for _saving his life_ instead of letting him die. When Eddie woke up an hour later, with Bill and Stanley sitting on their respective chairs, the pharmacist merely blinked at them, lips pressed shut. He stared at them for what felt like ages to Bill, before he let out a heavy sigh and went back to sleep. At the time, Bill was so grateful that Eddie hadn’t reacted the same way as Richie did, and looking at Stanley’s face, he could see the feeling was mirrored in the other man’s eyes. But then Georgie knocked on the door and told them that Stanley’s phone had been ringing for the past hour, an incoming call from _Maggie Tozier._ All worries regarding Eddie flew out of Bill’s minds in an instance, and both he and Stanley went on to discuss who should be the one to tell the Toziers about their son. In the end, as the one whom the Toziers practically adopted, they all agreed that it would be Stanley. Georgie offered to come with him, and Stanley accepted.

By the time Stanley called Bill three days later, to tell him that both he and Georgie had decided to tell the Toziers _everything,_ Eddie had woken up a few more times. Bill barely caught on how the Toziers responded to the story, because he had something else in his mind already. It had been three days, and never, not even once, had Eddie _spoken._ Even when he was wide awake and being carefully fed by either Bill or Beverly, the pharmacist never spoke. He didn’t even make a single sound. Bill called the doctors to have Eddie checked, thinking that the accident had affected his best friend worse than they originally thought. But even before the results came out to tell him that nothing was _physically_ wrong with Eddie, Bill knew. He fucking knew already what was wrong with Eddie. So when his best friend, his one constant in all his forty years of life other than his brother, was finally given the green light by the hospital to leave, Bill immediately offered to take him home. _To take care of him,_ like he did with Richie all those centuries ago. After all, they already lived together, and Bill knew Stanley wouldn’t mind having Eddie living with them. When he signed the release papers, the author had sort of expected that Eddie would refuse, would throw a tantrum insisting that he would be fine. But Eddie just sat there in his wheel-chair, staring blankly ahead, ignoring the way everyone was talking to him.

And for the next twelve months, Eddie kept his mouth shut and never made a sound.

It was unsettling for Bill how it reminded him of that other life with Richie. And this time, not even Audra or Patty could help Eddie. _No one_ could. Even when the Toziers came to visit him, neither of them blamed Stanley or Eddie _or_ Bill for what had happened to their son, Eddie still wouldn’t talk. The pharmacist had even refused to be in the same room as Bill or Stanley for too long, spending all of his time holed up in his room. He rarely got out of his bed unless it was necessary for him. Unfortunately, eating didn’t count as necessary for Eddie, and Bill and Stanley had to force-feed him three times a day to make sure he didn’t just waste away. But at least, Eddie’s lack of reaction included the lack of rejection toward food. Although, looking at the blank look in Eddie’s eyes, and the way his face was devoid of emotion, Bill doubted Eddie even realised that he was eating whenever Bill spoon-fed him. It genuinely broke his heart to see Eddie reduced into that state. Despite being the youngest out of the seven of them, all of the Losers had always agreed Eddie was probably the strongest one in the group, along with Beverly. Eddie was a fighter, he never quit. But life had repeatedly tried to break him, and this time, Bill realised that Eddie couldn’t take it anymore.

_(“Good bye, Bill. I love you, man,” Eddie had said that day at the airport in Bangor, which was the last thing Eddie ever said to Bill. And perhaps, the last thing he’d ever said to_ anyone. _)_

It was terrible, but Bill had almost wished Eddie _did_ die that night when his car crashed, just so he could finally be with Richie.

The sound of his name being called snapped Bill out of his reverie, and he got up from his seat to go grab his coffee order. The other day, he got a call from Adrian Mellon, and the kid asked to meet him at the café near Bill’s house. Bill had only met Adrian a couple times, one of them being that time when Georgie announced his engagement to Adrian’s sister, Laura. He was an aspiring journalist, and claimed to be a huge fan of Bill’s. Very polite, but Bill knew when push came to shove, Adrian could be a force to be reckon with. Even though he’d only met the kid twice, Bill was so fond of him already. It didn’t take him long to realise that his fondness stemmed from the fact that Adrian reminded him a lot of Eddie. The same compact build, the same feistiness, the same motor mouth that spoke about a mile a minute. Looking at Adrian was like looking at Eddie, minus the trauma and all. It was probably why Bill had agreed to meet the kid in the first place, even though Adrian never explained why exactly he wanted to see him. He probably wanted to talk about Georgie anyway, that was what Bill thought.

Pushing back the annoying voice in the darkest part of his mind that told him he was trying to replace his best friend, Bill bade Stanley goodbye after telling him where he was going. Stanley was focused on his work as he kept an eye on the opened door of Eddie’s room, where Eddie himself was still asleep. At the mention of Adrian’s name, whom Stanley had known through Georgie too during the years he lived with Richie, the accountant beamed at Bill and told him to say hi to Adrian, and perhaps offer the young journalist to come around. Bill agreed, and after giving Stanley a quick kiss, he left his house. The café where he was set to meet Adrian would take him fifteen minutes to get there if he’d walked. Pulling out his car from his garage, an Audi which he named _Silver_ after his trusted steed, Bill then headed out to the café. He had a lot in his mind all the way there, the most constant thing was how the Toziers, like Eddie, never recovered over Richie’s death. It was why they released a statement to the public saying that Richie was missing. Maggie wouldn’t aceept that her son had died, insisting that she could still _feel_ him. And none of the Losers and Wentworth had the heart to contradict her, so they did exactly what she asked them to do.

The Toziers had come to live in New York, and their house was only a few blocks away from Bill's. Like Stanley, they too couldn’t stand living in Georgia, where everywhere they looked reminded them of Richie. Bill’s own parents had moved to Florida to be with his brother, and their relationship had always been a bit rocky since Georgie’s accident. So, it was nice for Bill to have Maggie and Wentworth close to him. Even though they were grieving themselves for the loss of their son, the elder couple always took time to visit Stanley and Eddie _and_ Bill. It came off as quite a shock to Bill when he received the same treatment as Stanley and Eddie. He knew that Stanley was practically another son to the Toziers, and Eddie being the love of Richie’s life made him an unofficial son-in-law. In fact, since they were children, it was clear to everyone that that was how Maggie and Wentworth saw Eddie. Bill though, he didn’t feel like he deserved to be treated the same way. But then Maggie told him that she understood how things were between him and his own parents, and with a smile Bill had seen many times on Richie’s face, offered to be his mother-in-law, if he wanted to. Since Stanley was like her son already, she said. Bill was man enough to admit that he cried like a child then, as Maggie held him in her arms.

_(“And count me in too, Billy,” Wentworth had added, after his wife told him what happened, pulling both Maggie and Bill into a hug.)_

_(It was the happiest Bill had ever been since he came back from Derry.)_

Adrian wasn’t at the café yet when Bill got there, but he was five minutes early than their agreed nine o’clock meeting, so he didn’t think much about it and ordered his drink. By the time he was called to get his drink, he noticed that Adrian was ten minutes late. He still didn’t mind it, thinking that Adrian got stuck in traffic. So, to keep himself entertained, he took out his phone and opened the group chat he had with the Losers plus Audra and Patty. Except for Eddie, everyone was pretty active in the group, giving up dates on their lives. Ben and Beverly were chilling somewhere in Catalonia, the pretentious love-birds. Mike and Patty had tagged along with Audra to Bali, where her next movie would be filmed. Bill couldn’t help the grin he let slipped when he watched the video Audra sent of Mike and Patty dancing in their balcony to the song Patty played on her phone. In a retaliation, Patty sent a picture of Audra getting quite cozy with her co-star, an actor who was even _hotter_ than Ben. But it was all very sweet, and it made almost Bill forget that somewhere in his house, Eddie was near catatonic from depression.

“Sorry, I’m late. I have been standing outside the café for the past fifteen minutes because I was being a stupid coward.”

Bill froze, thumb hovering over his phone as he felt his heart thundered in his chest.

_That_ voice. There was only one person in the whole fucking universe Bill knew who had that voice.

And that person had been _missing_ for a year.

When Bill turned around in the direction of the voice, it felt like everything moved in a slow-motion. The first thing he noticed about the person standing in front of him was that it was a man, and a very tall one with broad shoulders. The second thing he noticed was the obnoxiously bright-coloured Hawaiian shirt, which was both familiar and unfamiliar at the same, having not seen such atrocity in over twenty years. Then when Bill tilted his head up, he found a pair of bright-blue eyes behind slim-framed glasses that he felt looked a little out of place on that _very_ familiar face. The man was wearing a cap in his obvious effort to keep his identity hidden, but Bill would know those eyes anywhere. It had been a year since Bill had last seen him, which was only for less than a day, but the author knew that there was no mistaking the man in front of him. He looked a bit different, yes. _Healthier,_ to be exact. When last year he looked like a walking corpse, this time the man looked like he was in absolute good health. His hair was also shorter, and Bill briefly wondered when was the last time he’d seen the man without his iconic curls. But then the man gave him a small, timid smile, and all Bill could think of was that he _had_ to hug this man— _Richie Tozier_ , his old friend. His _best_ friend.

Bill practically jumped off his seat to hug Richie, giving no fucks over the fact that he’d accidentally kicked his chair to the side. For some reason, Richie seemed surprised to get such a reaction from Bill, but he got over it rather quick and returned the hug not even two seconds later. All around them, Bill noticed people staring at them, wondering what was happening. Some of them were probably trying to get a look on their faces. It was very fortunate that the height difference between Bill and Richie allowed the both of them to hide their faces, with Bill’s face pressed against Richie’s chest while the actor’s face was in his neck. He knew he was making a mess of Richie’s shirt with his tears, and he could feel his neck getting wet from Richie’s own tears. It was quite a while before he could finally bear to let go of Richie. But he couldn’t stop himself from running his eyes hungrily all over his best friend’s profile, fearing that this was all just some sick dream his mind had conjured up, an obvious sign that Bill had finally lost his mind. But Richie didn’t disappear when he blinked. He stayed right there, his own eyes also never leaving Bill’s face.

“I can’t even begin to explain just how _good_ it is to see you, Richie,” Bill managed to say after a while, his voice a little hoarse from all the crying. “I missed you. _We all did._ ”

“I missed you guys too,” Richie said softly, looking rather remorseful despite the happy smile on his face. “I’m sorry for leaving. I wouldn’t have done it if I had a choice, Bill. I swear.”

“I know, Rich. I understand,” Bill reassured him. He stopped himself from continuing when he caught a group of teenagers were staring at him and Richie with recognition in their eyes. Knowing that they should go somewhere private, he asked, “Did you drive here?”

Richie shook his head. “No. Adrian dropped me off.”

“Alright then. We’re coming back home with me, and you can explain everything on our way there.”

The two of them quickly left the café, ignoring the way people were starting to whisper about them. Even after a year, Richie was still extremely popular. He remembered when Stanley, representing the Tozier family because neither Maggie or Wentworth wanted to do it, told the public that Richie was ‘missing’, it became headline news everywhere for a long time. It _still_ was a headline news now, although it had subsided a lot. Bill only hoped that those people in the café respected Richie enough to keep it quiet, at least until Richie could explain himself to their family. When they got into Bill’s car, the actor was quiet, biting his lips in contemplation. Bill decided right then that he would take them around the city so Richie could tell him everything without being interrupted once they got home. They had been going around and around for almost half an hour before Richie finally opened his mouth. He refused to look at Bill though, keeping his eyes resolutely at the window as he spoke softly. Bill didn’t mind. He could tell that whatever it was Richie went through couldn’t be easy. So, he made a silent promise to himself to listen to Richie without interrupting him.

Richie had been living with Adrian and his fiancé Don for the past year in New Hampshire. The couple found him lying unconscious in their backyard, exactly a month after Derry. Other than his dramatic lost of weight, and the paleness of his skin, Richie looked completely unharmed. That why was the couple decided against taking him to the hospital. Both young men, who had met Richie once through Georgie, also agreed that they wouldn’t immediately tell Bill's brother because they didn’t want to give the young professor hope, in case Richie was going to disappear again. Richie didn’t wake up until a day later, at which point Don, who was a doctor, was already debating on whether they should take him to the hospital or not. They were so pleased when Richie finally opened his eyes, but then their relief was short-lived when the actor showed signs of amnesia. He didn’t know who they were, he didn’t know who _he_ was, and he couldn’t even remember how he’d gotten into their backyard in the first place. Don had already decided that he was going to take Richie to the hospital, and Adrian was about to agree to it. But then Richie saw himself on the TV, saw the news reported him as missing. And for some reason, he was convinced that it meant he _should_ stay away from everyone.

“Well, that’s fucking stupid, Rich,” Bill commented, breaking his promise already. He couldn’t help himself. It was ingrained in his brain after all, to yell at his best friend whenever he did something stupid. Richie, for his part, looked understandably embarrassed.

“I know,” the actor agreed. “I have no choice though. There was a voice in the back of my mind, and I think it was Maturin’s, saying that if I had gone to see you guys, it would cancel all the magic.”

Bill frowned as he stopped at the traffic lights. “Hold on. What do you mean ‘cancel all the magic’?”

“I wasn’t meant to survive, you know?” Richie said. “I wasn’t supposed to be alive. I’d gone through too many Loops for you guys, it was breaking me apart. I should have...not exactly died, but more like… _moved on._ ”

“And that’s why you just disappeared?”

“Yeah.”

Richie continued his story, saying that after he somehow managed to convince Adrian and Don to not tell anyone about him, he slowly began to learn about himself. He asked Adrian and Don about who he was, went on the internet to search for it. He took notes on everything he found. When it marked his second month staying with the couple, that was when his memories started to return. It came gradually, from the ones he had of his parents, then the ones about the Losers. He dreamed of the current timeline, and the other timeline. His memories of their last fight against Pennywise came last, and for him it was the most depressing one of all his memories. He remembered sitting half-dead in Bill’s rental car as they headed for Bangor, fighting with all his might to stay alive— _for Eddie._ He remembered he was telling Eddie that he would love for them have a life together, and the next thing he knew he had found himself in a weird place where everything was white and empty and _cold._ Then he saw Maturin, in all her Gigantic Turtle glory. She explained to him that he wasn’t supposed to be alive, and the only reason he did was because the genuine love he had for Eddie when he promised him to stay alive. Maturin told him it wouldn’t be a quick happy ending, that Richie would have to work for it. But Richie, who had lived for almost three hundred years to fix a better life for his friends and family, didn’t care.

As long as he got to get back to Eddie, he would do anything.

That was the reason why he lost his memories, and how he suddenly just turned up in Adrian’s and Don’s backyard. It took him a year to recover his memories, and just the other week he dreamed of Maturin. The Turtle didn’t say anything to Richie in the dream, but she did give him a curt nod. When Richie woke up the next morning, he knew that it was finally time for him to come back to his life. He told Adrian about it, who merely stared at him for a whole ten seconds before agreeing to help him with whatever he needed. The three of them—Richie, Adrian and Don—left for New York just a couple days later, staying in a hotel the closest to where Bill lived with Stanley and Eddie. Then Adrian made the call to Bill, and the rest was history.

“This is it though, right?” Bill asked, taking a turn in the direction that would take him to his house. “No more Turtle Magic Business after this? You’re _staying_ for real, aren’t you?”

“Yes, this is it, Billy,” Richie confirmed, nodding reassuredly. “It’s all really over now. After two hundred and sixty-six years, I can _finally_ have my happy ending.”

Bill nodded, and it was like a huge burden was finally lifted off him. “Good. That’s really good… If you disappear again, I don’t think any of us can take it well, Rich. Your parents are barely holding up right now, and the same goes for Stanley. And Eddie…” Bill trailed off as pulled his car into a stop in front of his car, finally giving Richie his whole attention. “Has Adrian told you about Eddie?”

Richie frowned, and Bill felt a slight tug to his heart. “What about Eddie? I only know that Eddie’s living with you and Stanley.”

“Adrian didn’t tell you then,” the author sighed. Suddenly, Bill felt exhausted. He didn’t blame Adrian for not telling Richie about Eddie. But he was sort of hoping that he wouldn’t be the one to tell Richie.

“What didn’t he tell me?” Richie asked as he started to panic. “Bill? What’s wrong with Eddie? He…he’s okay, right? I mean, he lives with you and Stanley. And I know you guys are taking care of him.”

“Hard to take care of someone who doesn’t want to live,” Bill said in a small voice. And he _hated_ seeing the terror in his best friend's eyes—the absolute despair in them.

“What are you saying, Bill?” the actor whispered. “He’s not… _Bill,_ tell me that he’s okay. He is… _alive,_ right? S-surely Adrian would tell me if something happened to Eddie.”

Unable to find the most appropriate way to tell his best friend, Bill opened his car’s door, nodded toward his house and said, “Come on. Maybe things _will_ get better with you here.”

Richie was already in front of the house by the time Bill got out of his car. He was jittery, his hands anxiously played with the hem of his shirt. For a split second, Bill could almost see his best friend as he was back then when they were only teenagers. But they _weren’t_ teenagers. They hadn’t been one in decades. Technically, _Richie_ hadn’t been a teenager for even longer. Nothing seemed to change though, no matter how old they’d gotten. Richie still fidgeted whenever he worried about Eddie, and Bill still needed Richie to make everything better. Richie practically elbowed Bill to the side once he’d opened the door, his blue eyes searching the room wildly for signs of where Eddie might be. Bill could hear Stanley’s voice calling out for him, but he was too busy trying to stop Richie from tearing down into the nearest room he could find. When Stanley finally came out from Eddie’s room, having finished with feeding their friend his lunch, the accountant dropped the tray of empty plate and glass as his hazel eyes settled unblinkingly on Richie. Bill tried to explain it to Stanley, at the same time wrestling Richie to stay put. But the actor was over a foot taller than him, and five pounds heavier too, and Richie jerked away from Bill’s grip before he could stop him.

Richie marched into Eddie’s room like a man on a mission, and Bill and Stanley were left with no choice to follow him. But then the two of them collided into Richie’s back, who had stopped abruptly the moment he laid his eyes on Eddie. Without looking, Bill knew exactly what had garned such a reaction from Richie. In the year since Richie disappeared, Eddie had lost a lot of weight. It was nowhere as drastic as the weight Richie lost, but it was still a lot. But that wasn’t the most terrible thing about him. It was his eyes. Everyone who knew Eddie knew that he spoke more with eyes than his mouth. If you wanted to understand him more, you just needed to look into his eyes. Those big, brown eyes of his were always alight with his fiery fire that made him Eddie. Now though, this Eddie had been through so much, and he’d finally lost the fire that they loved about him. Even from where Bill was standing, he could see the blank look in Eddie’s eyes as the man stared unseeingly at his window. There was a truly heart-breaking sob coming out of Richie’s mouth, and Bill stood back with Stanley, the both of them silently watched their best friend slowly making his way toward the love of his life.

“Eds?” Richie whispered softly, lowering himself as gently as he could beside the other man. “Eddie, it’s me. It’s Richie.”

Like he always did for the past year, Eddie didn’t give a response. Bill stopped trying to reach his best friend after four months, while Stanley gave up a couple months later. Richie had always been determined though, and even though he looked downright terrified, he reached forward for Eddie’s hands and continued to talk to him.

“Eds, my love, it’s me. I know you’re in there somewhere, so I hope you’re listening,” the actor said, scooting closer toward Eddie to pull him onto his lap. His arms were wrapped around Eddie, and he was speaking directly to the younger Loser’s ears. “I want to say I’m sorry, Eds. I really am. I made you a promise, and I broke it. _Repeatedly._ I told you that I would never leave you, that I would be with you forever. But I kept on leaving you again and again, under the excuse that I did it because I wanted to save you. I knew the whole time that I was supposed to die, and I was fine with that. As long as it wasn’t me who was left behind, I was ready to give up my life for you.”

“Self-sacrificing asshole,” Stanley muttered, and Bill could only pull the man into a hug to shush him, to avoid interrupting Richie. Fortunately, the actor didn’t seem to hear it.

“I made you a promise that I knew I shouldn’t have made, because there was still a part of me that had hoped it would work,” Richie said, one hand was absentmindedly making patterns on Eddie’s leg while the other hand was gently carding through his hair. “Belief _is_ a powerful thing, Eds. It really is. And until the very end, I’d believed that my promise for you would be powerful enough to keep me alive, because of our love. I loved you, Eds. I loved you then, I love you now, and I will _always_ love you. And I know, you feel the same about me. So, armed only with our love, I foolishly relied on the belief that it would be enough.”

Bill didn’t even realise it when he’d cried until he felt Stanley wiped them away. He looked at the man—his _boyfriend,_ his _partner,_ the love of _his_ life—and found that he understood perfectly what Richie was talking about. Looking at Stanley, seeing those beautiful hazel eyes and the way he smiled shyly at him, Bill knew that if he was in Richie’s shoes, he would do the exact same thing for Stanley.

“And I _was_ right, Eds,” Richie continued tearfully as he buried his face into Eddie’s hair. “I didn’t die. It took a lot longer than I would have preferred, but I came back. I found my way back to you, because _this,_ right here and right now, holding you tightly in my arms, is where I’m supposed to be. _Always._ So, come back to me, Eds. _Please._ We can still have our happy ending. It is not too late. We can still have our forever together. You just have to come back to me, like I came back to you.”

Richie was sobbing quietly now, holding Eddie tightly like a child would to a teddy bear. Bill himself was fighting back his own sobs, and he could see from the corner of this eye that Stanley was already openly crying. The author didn’t want to think what would happen to Richie if Eddie never recovered, and it made Bill angry. Richie and Eddie had suffered so much throughout their lives, and they deserved a second chance like everyone else, probably even more so than anyone in their fucked up family. So, taking a page from Richie’s book, Bill did the only thing he could think of. He _believed._ He believed that Eddie would wake up from his catatonic state, and he would finally live the life he deserved with Richie. He kept the thought in his head like a mantra as he watched Eddie closely. His friends had never abandoned him in the past, and this was Bill’s time to save them. And slowly but surely, it happened. Bill saw the way Eddie blinked his eyes into focus, saw the way the fog that had clouded his eyes for a year disappeared. He saw how Eddie looked around the room a bit dazed, but was a hundred percent focused when he finally noticed the man who was hugging him, and a huge smile broke out on his face.

“Richie, you’re back,” Eddie whispered, his first words after a year of silence. Tears were falling profusely down his face, but it didn’t dim his smile at all.

Richie, upon hearing Eddie’s voice, stopped crying in an instance, and helped the other man to turn around to face him. Eddie ended up straddling Richie, still seated on his lap as he cupped Richie’s face in his hands. The actor himself had his own smile on his face, and he too was cupping Eddie’s face in his own hands. “ _Eddie,_ ” Richie breathed out. He pressed their foreheads together, and Bill could see that Richie’s smile got even bigger. “It’s me, Eds. It’s really me. I’m back.”

Eddie pulled back a little, and there was a bit of worry tainting his happines. “You’re not going to leave me again, are you?” he asked, his voice breaking at the end. “Because, if you do, I want to come with you. I need you, Chee. I can’t live without you.”

“Sweetheart, I’m never leaving you ever again,” Richie promised, his thumb gently caressing Eddie’s cheek. “I’m afraid you’re stuck with me till the end of time, Eds.”

“I can live with that,” Eddie chuckled lightly as he wrapped his arms around Richie’s neck. Pulling him closer, until their lips were mere an inch apart, he said, “Now, give me the kiss I’ve been owed for twenty fucking years, dipshit.”

It was Richie’s turn to laugh, and he looked positively alight in his joy when he brought their faces even closer and said, “As you wish, you little turd.”

“Aaand _that’s_ our cue to leave,” Stanley said, turning his back on the couple before pulling Bill out of the room. He was gagging when he saw Richie twisted around to lay Eddie onto the bed, but Bill could see the small smile Stanley fought to hide.

“I know you, Stanley Uris,” Bill said with a smirk as they headed into their own room. “You’re a secret softie. I can see the smile you’re trying to hide.”

“Be thankful about that, Denbrough. Because you’re the only one allowed to see my soft side,” Stanley retorted, although he followed it with a mischievous wink.

“I _am_ thankful,” Bill said, pushing Stanley onto their bed and tucked himself to lie down beside him. Burying his fingers into Stanley’s curls, Bill then kissed him soundly to show him just how thankful he was to have Stanley in his life.

“I love you, Bill,” Stanley said between kisses. “So, _so_ much.”

“As do I, Stanley. Always have, always will,” Bill replied.

Bill knew that things weren’t really over yet. They still had _a lot_ to do. He would have to invite Maggie and Wentworth to come so they could meet their son again. Then he would have to tell the rest of his family—Georgie, Beverly, Ben, Mike, Audra and Patty—about Richie’s return. Hell, they were definitely going to have another impromptu Losers meeting. And perhaps he should extend an invitation to Adrian and Don. After all, they had been kind enough to take care of Richie when none of the Losers could. He knew that there was no guarantee that life would go on smoothly like it always did in a fairytale. There would be ups and downs for the rest of their lives. It would be okay though. Because, as long as they all had each other, they could do _anything._ But that was for later. Bill would deal with that later, probably in a few hours.

For now, he had a ‘private’ celebration to have with the love of his life.


	5. Richie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two hundred and seventy years, and he finally got to have this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, guys. Sorry for the wait. I hope you guys like it.  
> Thanks for everything :)

Richie’s face was buried in the crook of Eddie’s neck as he sucked and bit and kissed the skin there, eliciting a moan from Eddie who was clutching onto Richie’s shoulders tightly. His glasses were long forgotten, probably broken from when Richie threw it carelessly in his haste to get undressed. It was dark in their room, but even if he had had his glasses on him, Richie doubted he could have seen anything. He didn’t care though. All he could feel and hear was Eddie, and that was all that mattered. He was hot and tight around him, hands clutching onto him and his body pressed against his. Eddie was in his arms, in his lap, his blunt nails digging onto Richie’s shoulders as he gripped tightly on them, and his cute face was buried into Richie’s neck as he moaned and whimpered when Richie thrust hard inside him. The sounds that left those cute lips of Eddie’s— _God,_ but Richie didn’t think he’d ever get over them.

Two hundred and seventy years, and he finally got to have _this._

Eddie’s hips were rolling into his, trying to meet Richie’s thrusts, soft moans and whimpers leaving him. Richie kind of regretted the fact that they’d taken the top floor suite where they had no neighbours to bother them, because Richie wanted _everyone_ to hear. Call him an exhibitionist creep, but if he could have it his way, he wanted everyone to see. He wanted them all to know that he had _finally_ married Eddie Kasbprak _._ That he was finally _happy,_ and got the chance to spend the rest of his life with Eddie—the one whom he’d sacrificed everything for because Richie had fallen for him since they were only ten years old. It felt like their first time all over again, which was Eddie’s first time all together. And like that day, two weeks after Richie had just returned, two weeks after he’d settled everything with his family, Richie wanted to dedicate this day for Eddie. He wanted to make it as special as he could possibly make. They were finally married, and Richie would show Eddie again how much he loved him—always had, always would.

Keeping a tight hold around Eddie, Richie flipped them over until they switched positions. He angled his hips a little before slamming back in harder, hitting that sensitive spot inside Eddie that caused him to cry out against Richie’s shoulder, hands clutching tighter. Richie couldn’t help himself when he grinned against Eddie’s neck, giving the mark he’d made there one last bite before he moved to kiss to Eddie’s cheek. He heard Eddie hummed in response, taking one hand off Richie’s shoulder to pull him into a deep kiss. Richie took great pleasure in swallowing up every moan and whimper that left Eddie’s lips, muffled against his lips. He loved it. Richie had always loved kissing, and even more now that he got kiss Eddie. It was, and would always be, his favourite activity in the world. Richie would spend the rest of his life kissing Eddie if he could. And not just his lips. He would kiss every inch of Eddie’s adorable face, and all over his tight, wonderful body too.

This was real. Two hundred and seventy years and _God knew_ how many life times it had taken them, but Eddie was in his arms now, under him. Eddie was close to him, safe in his arms as they made love, and they were _happy._

“ _Richie_ ,” Eddie breathed against his lips, and Richie felt like the sound had traveled all the way down to his cock that was inside Eddie. It felt like electricity was running through him at the sound of his name being said by Eddie with such pleasure.

It was too dark for Richie’s shitty eyesight to see properly, but he could still make out the marks he’d put on Eddie’s skin. He felt pleased with himself for it. He loved the thought of Eddie walking around tomorrow, bearing Richie’s marks on his skin, and it made Richie’s thrusts even more frantic. He pulled Eddie close to him, one hand gripping Eddie’s waist tightly while the other one had gone into Eddie’s hair to pull on the short strands, baring the column of his neck for Richie to kiss. A loud moan was punched out of Eddie when Richie thrust particularly hard into him, and Richie dove in to kiss him, swallowing his cries and drinking out his moans as if he was starving and Eddie was the only meal he could have to sate his hunger.

“Come on, Eds,” Richie whispered between kisses, because he was unwilling to stop kissing Eddie even for a split second. “Come on, baby, let them all hear. Let them all _know_.”

“ _Chee!_ R-Richie, _please_!” Eddie whined, body trembling.

“Let me hear it, babe. Let _them_ hear it.”

“Richie, Richie, Richie… Oh, God, I- I… Chee, I’m gonna— _ooh!”_

“That’s it, Eds. Come for me, love. Come for me. _Fuck_ , you’re so beautiful. _So fucking pretty_ …”

Richie kept on whispering sweet nothings against Eddie’s lips as he reached for Eddie’s cock, pumping him as he continued to thrust deep, fast and hard into Eddie. Eddie’s head dropped onto the bed as he cried out Richie’s name, body trembling clenching around him when he released into Richie’s hand. The feeling of Eddie clenching around him was quite possibly the best feeling in the world for Richie. The sound of his name leaving Eddie’s lips reverently, over and over again, was the best kind of music Richie ever heard. He could feel himself building up as he continued to thrust hard, helping Eddie to ride out his climax, a whine leaving his own lips. Pressing his face into Eddie’s hair, Richie finally released inside Eddie, chanting Eddie’s name as if it was a prayer.

Slowly, he rolled his hips, riding out his release before he almost collapsed into the bed. He stayed in the position they were in, the only sounds to be heard was the both of them panting for breath. Richie could feel his own arms keeping Eddie close as he turned to press a kiss to Eddie’s temple. He curled himself into Eddie again, his legs tangling with Eddie’s as he linked their fingers together. He smiled at Eddie, his _husband—_ fuck, that felt _great_ to say—and he couldn’t stop the giggle that escaped him. It didn’t take long before Eddie was giggling with him too, and it was just _so fucking cute!_ Ten or forty five years old, Eddie was still the cutest and prettiest person Richie knew.

“Cute, cute, cute,” Richie said softly, reaching up to cup Eddie’s face with his left hand, his thumb stroking Eddie’s cheekbone gently. The sight of his wedding band glinting in the dark made his heart flutter pleasantly in his chest, reminding him for the umpteenth time that he was married to Eddie.

He caught Eddie eyeing the ring on his finger, and he knew that Eddie was marveling the sight as well. With his own left hand reaching for Richie’s, Eddie pulled it off his face and pressed a kiss to it, right onto the ring. “My _husband,_ ” Eddie whispered, his lips pulling into the most beautiful smile Richie had ever seen, showing off those cute dimples Richie loved.

“We did it, Eds,” Richie said. “We’re finally here. Married and happy.”

“Married and happy,” Eddie repeated, leaning forward to kiss Richie sweetly.

It had been five years since they defeated Pennywise for good. After Richie brought Eddie out of his catatonic state, they spent hours talking about everything, wrapped in each other’s arms. Once in a while, they would steal kisses from each other, hands clutching tightly onto each other, as if to reassure themselves that it was _real._ Richie had finally returned to Eddie, and they were finally going to have the happy ending they both deserved. Before they knew it, they’d spent almost six hours in Eddie’s room, and Stanley was knocking on the door to let them know that he’d invited Richie’s parents to have dinner with them. When Maggie and Wentworth Tozier arrived, eyes wide and tearful as they looked at him, Richie felt like he was a child again.

At two hundred and sixty six, he was almost four times older than his parents were. Hell, the first time around, he was even _older_ than they were when he’d died leaving his and Bill’s daughter. But apparently, no matter how old you got, you were still your parents child. He couldn’t help himself when he ran to hug his mother and father, the three of them crying their eyes out like children. He’d known from his friends that Stanley and Georgie had told his parents everything—about Maturin and Pennywise. So, when they all had calmed down and were settled in the dining room, Richie filled them in on anything that Stanley and Georgie hadn’t told them. It brought on another wave of tears for Maggie, and Wentworth looked so miserable Richie was almost sorry that he’d told them about it.

It took _a lot_ to convince his parents that it was okay, that everything was over. That he wasn’t going to leave them again. Maggie was the longest to convince because she was the one who took Richie’s disappearance the hardest after Eddie. But Richie promised her that he’d come to visit every day for the rest of his life, and it finally put Maggie at ease. Both mother and son had another round of tearful hug before Maggie and Wentworth went home. Bill initially offered for the elderly couple to stay at his place for the night, but they both insisted that they didn’t mind going home. The Losers promised that they’d come to the Toziers’ place for breakfast the next morning, and they all waved the elder couple goodbye before deciding that the day wasn’t over for them yet. The four old friends ended up staying up for the whole night, lying on the blanket fort they made in the living. It was nice. It reminded Richie of a time decades ago when he was truly a child.

When they finally got around to tell their friends the next day, Georgie was the first one they called. The younger Denbrough cried for a whole ten minutes, cursing his brother-in-law for keeping everything a secret from him. Richie told him that it wasn’t Adrian’s fault, that it was Richie who wanted it. Then Georgie started to curse _Richie_ for keeping it a secret. The call ended with Richie telling Georgie to come to Bill’s with their friends next week for their reunion, extending the invitation to not only Adrian and Don, but also to Laura. The other calls to the rest of their friends went relatively the same, with Beverly’s reaction being the worst. She actually took the first flight she cound find to New York, dragging Ben along with her, just so she could _slap_ Richie. It was good though, because then she practically crushed Richie in a hug, crying. Although it made him feel terrible to see his friends so devastated, he was glad that they were all together again.

They spent their time mostly at Bill’s place for the whole week, and for the first two days, except for Laura and Adrian and Don, they all spent the night cramped against each other in Bill’s living room like little children at a sleepover. It was terrible. People their age weren’t supposed to sleep pressed tightly against one another like that. But they didn’t care. They had been through a lot together for years, and the thought of us being apart again was too much for them to handle. Easy to say, it was probably one of the best days of Richie’s life. He had his Losers with him, his family outside of his parents. And he also had Patty and Audra, the best additions he could ever ask for.

When Richie met Audra officially for the first time, the woman insisted that Richie told her everything about _their_ daughter, and with tears running down his eyes, Richie recounted the life of the daughter they had in another life. It was bittersweet. Bill joined them when Richie was telling Audra about how their little Georgia had become an actress like her too. He didn’t notice at first, but everyone had been listening to him. He decided then to retell everything he’d lived, all the good and bad things. He watched the reactions on his friends’ faces, he moved his eyes hungrily from one person to another, because he still couldn’t believe that it was finally over. At the end of his story, the Losers plus Audra and Patty had surrounded him, and led by Eddie, they all pressed into each other to give him a hug. It was nice. Richie loved it. He loved _them._

It was on the last day of their reunion that Patty reminded him of his career, prompting Stanley to pipe in about his assets. For the whole year that he’d gone missing, as Richie’s accountant and former manager, the both of them had been the ones who handled his affairs. They agreed to help Richie to take care everything one at a time. Ten months and about a billion interviews later, Richie found himself immensely grateful that he had Stanley and Patty. He didn’t think that there’d be so many things for him to do. Because, technically, he _did_ just come back from the dead. He thought everything would just go back to how it was; that he could just pick up everything where he’d left off. Obviously, he was sorely mistaken. If it weren’t for Stanley and Patty, and also Eddie who had been a great support like always, Richie would probably decide to keep his return a secret and his existence hidden.

But it was all worth it though. Because, in the end, he got to marry Eddie.

That was the one and only incentive he had to not give up, since Patty kept on reminding him that he couldn’t marry Eddie if didn’t take care of his mess.

Richie proposed to Eddie around fourteen months after his return, when everything had calmed down. They had moved out of Bill’s place, but their new house wasn’t that far from either Bill’s or Richie’s parents’. Richie didn’t usually splurge his seemingly endless wealth, but it all changed since he got together with Eddie. He knew that Eddie didn’t need Richie to spoil him, he just couldn’t help himself though. He had waited centuries for it, _dammit,_ and he would splurge all he wanted. So, he bought the _huge_ house that got him a thorough yelling from Eddie, before the man thanked him with a blowjob as he admitted shyly that he _did_ like the house. But the pharmacist warned him not to buy him anything extravagant ever again, or else he’d donate them.

So, Richie decided to plan an extravagant _proposal_ instead.

And proposed to Eddie during his forty-fourth birthday bash, which he planned for two years with the help of Beverly, Patty and Audra.

_(“I have like, five hundred people here attending my birthday bash, and there are probably a thousand gifts already pilling up in that corner over there. And I appreciate them, guys. I really do. It’s not every day that you have the world’s most popular celebrities singing you a happy birthday. Unfortunately, despite all of your expensive gifts that I’m sure cost enough to feed a village or two, my favourite gift is actually pretty simple. And he’s been standing right beside me the whole time, looking prettier than the birthday boy himself.”)_

The only reason Eddie didn’t kill him then was because Richie promised that their wedding would be small and sweet, with only their family in attendance.

_(“Eds, my love. You are the greatest gift I can possibly imagine to have the fortune to get. And every day, I thank God that I have you in my life. So, in return, I would like to give you something. I’m going to give you this ring, and hope that you’ll take it and say yes.”)_

Maggie, Wentworth, Bill, Stanley, Georgie, Beverly, Ben, Mike, Patty, Audra, Adrian, Laura and Don. They were the only ones invited to the wedding, because they were the only ones whose presence and support mattered the most to Richie and Eddie. They were Richie and Eddie’s family.

_(“So? What do you think, Spaghetti Man? Will you marry me and make me the happiest old man in the entire universe?”)_

It had been two hundred and seventy years for Richie, but it was only the beginning for them.

“I love you, you turd.”

“I love you too, asshole.”

_(“Of course, I’ll marry you, Chee. It’s time that we have our happy ending.”)_


End file.
